On the Basis of Morality: A New Reader's Edition
Jan 1903 · The Collected Works of Arthur Schopenhauer Book 17 · Leo Press
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"Schopenhauer, the last German who comes into consideration (who is a European event equal to Goethe, equal to Hegel, equal to Heinrich Heine, and not merely a local, a "national" one), is as a psychologist of the first rank: namely, as a maliciously ingenious attempt, in favor of a nihilistic overall devaluation of life, precisely the counter instances, the great self affirmations of the "will to life" the exuberance forms of life into the field." Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols In the tumultuous intellectual landscape of mid 19th century European philosophy, Schopenhauer's 1840 treatise "On the Basis of Morality" emerges as an early philosophical intervention that radically reimagines the foundations of ethical thought. Published during a period of intense philosophical ferment, the work is a decisive break from the prevailing ethical structures of Kantian deontology and utilitarian calculus, presenting instead a radical approach to understanding human moral motivation that would send reverberating intellectual shockwaves through philosophical circles. Schopenhauer's text is not merely a theoretical exercise, but a deep interrogation of the deepest psychological and metaphysical underpinnings of human ethical behavior, questioning readers to confront the most basic questions about compassion, altruism, and the nature of moral action. The philosophical architecture of the work is nothing short of remarkable, presenting a detailed theory of moral motivation that roots ethical behavior in compassion rather than rational calculation or divine commandment. Schopenhauer meticulously deconstructs existing moral philosophies, arguing that true ethical action emerges from a deep recognition of the basic unity of human suffering a radical proposition that anticipates later developments in existential and phenomenological thought. His argument traverses difficult philosophical terrain, drawing from multiple intellectual traditions while simultaneously dismantling their most cherished assumptions. The text becomes a crucible in which traditional philosophical concepts are subjected to rigorous scrutiny, revealing the deep limitations of prevailing ethical structures and offering a startlingly original alternative that privileges empathy and inter subjective understanding.
"Schopenhauer, the last German who comes into consideration (who is a European event equal to Goethe, equal to Hegel, equal to Heinrich Heine, and not merely a local, a "national" one), is as a psychologist of the first rank: namely, as a maliciously ingenious attempt, in favor of a nihilistic ov...
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About the author
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 to 1860) was a German philosopher known for The World as Will and Representation. His writing treats perception, causation, human desire, ethics, aesthetics, and the relation between individual experience and the will.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 to 1860) was a German philosopher known for The World as Will and Representation. His writing treats perception, causation, human desire, ethics, aesthetics, and the relation between individual experience and the will.
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