Youtube Description:
Arthur Schopenhauer is one of the most influential German philosophers. His philosophy of the Will has influenced thinkers and scientists such as Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, and even Albert Einstein. In many ways, Schopenhauer will also anticipate existentialism. In this documentary on the philosophy of Schopenhauer, we take a deep dive into Schopenhauer’s magnum opus: The World as Will and Representation. We look at Schopenhauer’s metaphysical system, his indebtedness to Immanuel Kant, and his philosophy of the Will.
This video also explores Schopenhauer’s ethics and focuses on two recommendations: compassion and asceticism. We also introduce the concept of “agape”, or divine love. Schopenhauer’s intense focus on the individual, could be seen in some ways as a precursor to the existentialism movement later in philosophy.
Thirdly: Schopenhauer has sometimes been called “the artists’ philosopher” because of his lasting influence on art. Art, for Schopenhauer, is a way for us to forget our suffering, even for only a short time. And music was the most perfect means to do so. Lots of artists took Schopenhauer’s aesthetic theory to heart and felt emboldened in the pursuit of their craft as a result. We also touch upon his rediscovery of the Platonic Ideas.