Schopenhauer's Concept of The Will

Some people are great on their own merit - some people are great because of the influence they exerted upon others. If one was to measure Arthur Schopenhauer's greatness, he'd probably fall on the latter of the two categories. Schopenhauer wasn't as startling a writer as Tolstoy or Borges were; he wasn't as great a philosopher as Nietzsche was; he wasn't as great a psychologist as Freud or Jung were; and he wasn't as great a scientist as Einstein was, but he influenced all of these great men with his unique and personal view of the human condition (human condition is a relative philosophical term used to describe what it means to be - live - and eventually die) which he referred to as "Will...."

The Renaissance was one of the most important periods in European history. Europeans began to question everything, and philosophy reverted back to how it was during the time of the Greeks. John Locke was very sober and methodical about his views on metaphysics and epistemology. So by the time Hegel came into the picture, nothing was left to chance. Furthermore, after The Enlightenment, many people started to doubt the existence of a supernatural being that oversees and controls human beings and the cosmos.

It's now the end of the 18th Century - Schopenhauer is born.

Schopenhauer was a hardcore atheist and thought little of organized religion. He was heavily influenced by Locke, Berkeley and Kant, however, he felt that they had all missed the mark somehow. He didn't fully understand European thought at the time. He understood philosophers and scientists questioning the existence of God, but the concept that people can vice themselves and be moral, was not something that he agreed with. Schopenhauer felt that so called 'normal and logical people' overspend money, they overeat, they oftentimes make poor choices in life when choosing a partner. So where is the logic in all of this? If God doesn't exist, and people think they can vice and control their behavior, why do so many people make so many mistakes throughout their lives. Most people aren't crazy or deranged. So where does all this futile and reckless human behavior come from?

It's now the beginning of the 19th Century - Schopenhauer is in his late twenties and finally comes up with an answer to his question which he termed "Will." According to Schopenhauer, it's because of the "Will" that we make so many egregious mistakes. "Will" - the irrational side of the brain which craves physical existence, but also the part of the brain which makes it impossible for human beings to be happy and reposed. The "Will to Live" concept as he called it. Schopenhauer felt that both Kant and Hegel were wrong to think that human beings could ever be ethical and moral....

Pros:

These days research has proven Schopenhauer wrong on some of his theories about human behavior. That being said, his theories about human sexual drive were taken up a notch by Darwin in his theory of "survival of the fittest"; however, when Darwin lived, Schopenhauer didn't yet have a following as he would have towards the end of the 19th Century.... Schopenhauer has been one of the most influential figures in history - from Wagner to Wittgenstein and beyond. Writers from all walks of life have been influenced by him in some way or another. "The World as Will and Representation" has been read by many, and quoted by even more (many individuals have only read portions of the book - parts of the book are brilliant, but others parts can be a bit on the tedious side...)

Cons:

Although Schopenhauer criticized Berkeley and Locke, many of his ideas came from them. "The World is my idea" has nothing new in it that Berkeley or even Locke couldn't have conjured up... Schopenhauer also criticized Kant to a great extent, but claimed exclusivity in being the only one that had truly understood him. Schopenhauer was also very hostile towards Hegel as well, yet many today consider Hegel to have been the more important of the two men. (that said, very few individuals have read Hegel because he's extremely difficult to comprehend...)