Schopenhauer - A Very Short Introduction

This book aims to give a sympathetic but critical account of
Schopenhauer's philosophy. He constructed a system which embraces
metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, aesthetics, ethics, and
the meaning of life. But as a complete system his philosophy has had
few adherents, and he never founded a school of thought. His influence
on the history of thought was rather that of provoking and inspiring
generations of artists and thinkers from Wagner through to
Wittgenstein. Some of his ideas prefigure those of Freud, and his most
important philosophical impact was on Nietzsche, who at first found his
pessimist conclusions attractive and later regarded them as repulsive,
but was always in close dialogue with his 'great teacher'. Schopenhauer
was a true atheist, who fundamentally questioned the value of human
existence. Existence for Schopenhauer is a purposeless, painful striving,
driven by an unconscious force that we cannot control. Release from
this existence comes from losing one's individuality in aesthetic
experience, in compassion for the world, and in self-denial. While
examining all the main aspects of Schopenhauer's philosophical system,
this book hopes to bring out the challenging nature of the questions he
asks about human existence.

Contents
Preface viii
Abbreviations and works cited ix
List of illustrations x
Schopenhauer's life and works 1
Within and beyond appearance 14
The world as will and representation 28
Will, body, and the self 42
Character, sex, and the unconscious 55
Art and ideas 70
Ethics: seeing the world aright 88
Existence and pessimism 103
Schopenhaner's influence 119
Further reading 129
Index 133