The World as Will and Representation
The
development of Schopenhauer's ideas took place very early in his career
(1814–1818) and culminated in the publication of the first volume of Will and Representation in 1819. This first volume consisted of four books - covering his epistemology, ontology,
aesthetics and ethics, in order. Much later in his life, in 1844,
Schopenhauer published a second edition in two volumes, the first a
virtual reprint of the original, and the second a new work consisting of
clarifications to and additional reflections on the first. His views
had not changed substantially.
His
belated fame after 1851 stimulated renewed interest in his seminal
work, and led to a third and final edition with 136 more pages in 1859,
one year before his death. In the preface to the latter, Schopenhauer
noted: "If I also have at last arrived, and have the satisfaction at the
end of my life of seeing the beginning of my influence, it is with the
hope that, according to an old rule, it will last longer in proportion
to the lateness of its beginning."
Schopenhauer used the word "will" as
a human's most familiar designation for the concept that can also be
signified by other words such as "desire," "striving," "wanting,"
"effort," and "urging." Schopenhauer's philosophy holds that all nature,
including man, is the expression of an insatiable will to life. It is through the will that mankind finds all their suffering. Desire for more is what causes this suffering.
He used the word representation (Vorstellung)
to signify the mental idea or image of any object that is experienced
as being external to the mind. It is sometimes translated as idea or presentation. This concept includes the representation of the observing subject's own body. Schopenhauer called the subject's own body the immediate object because it is in the closest proximity to the mind, which is located in the brain.
Interpretation:
We all know that all significant changes throughout history have occurred not because of nations, armies, governments and certainly not committees.We just can't wake up one morning and change the world.We need to take one small step at a time
We all know that all significant changes throughout history have occurred not because of nations, armies, governments and certainly not committees.We just can't wake up one morning and change the world.We need to take one small step at a time
No comments:
Post a Comment