Saturday, May 3, 2014

Schopenhauer's Hidden Will aka Striving

Someone asked recently:
"Why suffering matters more than joy? 

Why letting all negatives rule the morality?"

Schopenhauer might respond that lack of something and dissatisfaction seem to propel us forward. Even if some fulfillment of the initial state of lack leads to some positive outcomes, these are usually temporary. Besides, even if there is happy moments, the basic lack of something should make you wonder if there is something suspect about the whole enterprise. There is simply a movement forward, what Schopenhauer would call "Will". The ceaseless striving of things has no overall purpose except perhaps to survive or continue to move forward, which begs the question (we survive to survive to survive, endlessly striving for nothing, but to keep it going). Look at ennui- boredom. This is a state of our striving having no particular aim. You can see it turn in on itself right before your very eyes. It is the weariness of the striving brought to the foreground- not distracted from any particular pursuit. This is the time for real reflection- not when one is occupied by this or that, but when one has run out of goals and simply stares at the void head-on. If happiness is coming from a state of dissatisfaction and lack of something, what is that telling you about the true nature of happiness? If we strip off our human emotions, we can see the inner-workings of pure Will or striving.

2 comments:

  1. This is a very good summary. Succinct and well explained. Clear and easy to understand....

    Thank you!!

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    1. ....I should say. I am in love with Schopenhauer (along with other pessimists) and have tried to get a good handle on his larger work thorough summaries on the internet. Yours is very good....

      While I have read his "Studies in Pessimism" I hope to find some time to read his main work at some point.... Again, thanks.

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