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The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer; On Human Nature

by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 6 chapters
  • Reading level: 10th to 12th grade

"The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer; On Human Nature" by Arthur Schopenhauer is a collection of philosophical essays likely written in the early 19th century. The work illuminates various aspects of human nature, touching on themes of morality, government, free will, character, and ethical reflections. The opening of the collection introduces the theme of the internal significance of moral and intellectual truths versus physical truths. Schopenhauer emphasizes that understanding human nature's moral dimensions is essential while critiquing the superficial considerations often attributed to human character. He discusses the role of compassion versus judgment in interpersonal interactions, suggesting that recognizing the shared suffering of humanity promotes empathy over contempt. Furthermore, he contrasts various ethical viewpoints from different cultures, stressing the importance of true moral understanding over societal constructs of dignity or virtue, thus setting the stage for a deeper exploration of human nature and the complexities of moral philosophy.

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  • Ethics
  • Political science

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Human Nature

Truths of the physical order may possess much external significance, but internal significance they have none. The latter is the privilege of intellectual and moral truths, which are concerned with the objectivation of the will in its highest stages, whereas physical truths are concerned with it in its lowest.

For example, if we could establish the truth of what up till now is only a conjecture, namely, that it is the action of the sun which produces thermoelectricity at the equator; that this produces terrestrial magnetism; and that this magnetism, again, is the cause of the aurora borealis, these would be truths externally of great, but internally of little, significance. On the other hand, examples of internal significance are furnished by all great and true philosophical systems; by the catastrophe of every good tragedy; nay, even by the observation of human conduct in the extreme manifestations of its morality and immorality, of its good and its evil character. For all these are expressions of that reality which takes outward shape as the world, and which, in the highest stages of its objectivation, proclaims its innermost nature.

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Contents

  1. Human Nature
  2. Government
  3. Free-Will and Fatalism
  4. Character
  5. Moral Instinct
  6. Ethical Reflections

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About this edition

This free edition of The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer; On Human Nature by Arthur Schopenhauer comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #10739, released 2004-01-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Essays, Letters & Speeches, Philosophy & Ethics.

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