Schopenhauer: Fate is cruel, people are very pitiful.

In 1850, Schopenhauer's last great work, "Appendices and Supplements", was finally completed. Before Schopenhauer's final work "Appendices and Addendums", all the works did not attract people's attention: Schopenhauer received his doctorate with the article "On the Four Origins of the Principle of Sufficient Reason", which was published in 1813. It is the cornerstone of his entire ideological system and the theoretical basis of his masterpiece "The World as Will and Representation". This paper analyzes the principle of causality from a physical, logical and metaphysical standpoint. Very few people know about the first edition of Schopenhauer's masterpiece. More than a year after its publication in 1819, "The World as Will and Representation" sold just over a hundred copies, and the rest were treated as waste paper. It was not until 1920 that the first book review of the book appeared in the academic world; "The Will in Nature" in 1836, "Two Fundamental Questions in Ethics" in 1841, and "As Will and Representation" in 1846 The World Volume 2, none of which caused any stir. In 1850, Schopenhauer's last great work, "Appendices and Supplements", was finally completed. After much trouble, delay and disappointment, Schopenhauer's close friend and admirer Fraunstad finally succeeded in persuading a Berlin publisher to publish these two volumes. The print run was only 750, and Schopenhauer received a gift. 10 copies, but no royalties.

Schopenhauer should have been like an ordinary person, drowned in the long river of history, and no one would remember him after his death, even if he inherited huge wealth, traveled to many places, and received a doctorate . Schopenhauer did not have any shocking feats. He did not fight for the people, nation, society, and country like other great men, nor did he have any tragic experiences. When it comes to Schopenhauer, people can only talk about trivial things. In 1832, Schopenhauer settled in Frankfurt am Main, where he stayed for 28 years. Until his death, he lived a secluded life. Schopenhauer did not have any commendable deeds, and many people even lived a more wonderful life than him.

"I will not live to see myself win worldly reputation." - Schopenhauer

This sentence is Schopenhauer's disappointment after countless expectations failed, and it is a reflection of the world's people. The helplessness without eyesight is the lament that one is born at the wrong time.

That era was not worthy of him!

An important reason why Schopenhauer is unknown is that he lived in an era where honor was valued more than life. "Honorable people", so there will inevitably be many moths who live by honor. Schopenhauer also criticized them in "The Wisdom of Life". The cake of honor is only so big. If Schopenhauer is allowed to take away a big piece, the "honorable people" will get very little. So they unanimously refuse to mention Schopenhauer's works, and even give him The label "pessimistic" on the doctrine makes people stay away from it.

Of course, anyone who has read Schopen's works knows that both "On the Fourfold Root of Sufficient Reason" and "The World as Will and Representation" are very profound and difficult to understand. Schopenhauer's work is a new philosophical system, and there are no similar works in the world. That was unheard of. The world's superficial understanding cannot touch Schopenhauer's philosophy. People who have not read Schopenhauer's works can only use hearsay words to describe Schopenhauer - that is, "pessimism". In addition, TV dramas, novels, and schools all convey a strong message that the world is a beautiful place and optimism is the right attitude. People automatically reject anything related to "pessimism", so Schopenhauer's philosophy, which is labeled "pessimistic", will never become mainstream. When people start to live independently, they suddenly realize that optimism is just a sugar coating to make us endure the hardships of life. The world's mentality of "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages" contributes to Schopenhauer's "pessimistic" label.

These are two questions, but people often confuse these two questions.

The British philosopher Russell said that except for kindness to animals, it is difficult to find any trace of virtue in Schopenhauer's life. He was completely selfish.

Russell can certainly say this about Schopenhauer.

Two people went from the village to the city respectively. When they came back a few days later, others asked them how to get to the city and what they should pay attention to on the way.

One person said that you should bring enough dry food and a pair of shoes that are tough enough. It is best to bring a self-defense weapon. You should be aware that there are robbers in some places and wild beasts in some places. You should always be vigilant because it may There will be thieves watching you...

Another person said that you don’t need to bring too much, just a few clothes are enough. There are hotels and restaurants on the road. When passing some places, you should pay attention to looking out the car window. , watch wild animals, and communicate more with people on the car in order to leave good memories...

People are more willing to believe what the latter person says, and choose to turn a blind eye to the former.

When the latter person heard what the first person said, he felt it was ridiculous.

When people's shoes are worn out and they are targeted by robbers and wild beasts, they remember that someone seems to have reminded them to take precautions.

The former is a child from a poor family, and the latter is a child from a rich family. Of course, a child from a rich family can laugh at a child from a poor family, because he will never have to use the experience of a child from a poor family in his life.

Schopenhauer is a "child from a poor family", and Russell can certainly sneer at Schopenhauer's philosophy.

To understand Schopenhauer, the best way is to look at the evaluations of him by his contemporaries and those who had close contact with him, such as Goethe's evaluation of Schopenhauer. One day there was a party. Everyone was chatting around a coffee table. Only this young doctor of philosophy retreated to the window alone, meditating solemnly. Several girls joked about Schopenhauer. Goethe just happened to Goethe walked in and asked everyone what was funny. Everyone pointed at Schopenhauer. Goethe scolded: "Don't make fun of this young man. He will be more amazing than us in the future."

Goethe also once Asking Schopenhauer to complete the book "On Vision and Color" for him, a writer can safely let another writer complete his work for him. This is Goethe's greatest affirmation of Schopenhauer. Entrusted by Goethe, Schopenhauer studied color issues and published the research results "On Vision and Color" in 1816.

In "The Wisdom of Life", Schopenhauer said that "an optimistic character is most directly helpful to happiness" and "a cheerful character makes a fundamental contribution to health". Teach others to be optimistic. How can a person be pessimistic?

In life, many poor relatives, friends, and neighbors came to Schopenhauer for help, and he never refused. He was also an advocate of "animal care" in Germany. At the same time, Schopenhauer's will also specified that the heir to his property was the association that organized the relief of "disabled soldiers, orphans and widows" after the 1848 revolution. In addition, both the owner and the dog get a good fortune. It can be seen from this that Schopenhauer has a kind heart.

The will of the universe is evil, and furthermore, the will is evil. Therefore, no matter how it changes, the will is the source of endless suffering for mankind. The nature of will is a vicious cycle. If desires are not satisfied, there will be pain, and things will be unsatisfactory in all likelihood. Therefore, life is painful most of the time. Secondly, even if desires are satisfied, the sense of satisfaction cannot be maintained for a long time. The result is either the creation of new desires and new pain, or a sense of boredom. Therefore, life is always wandering between pain and boredom. The so-called happiness is only a temporary phenomenon, just an interval of pain: therefore, happiness is in a negative sense.

Most people cannot break free from the shackles of money throughout their lives and can only travel around and work hard; no one can avoid the disease in their life; many people cannot meet their soul mate when they grow old, even if they do , may not be able to love each other due to various reasons; the road of life is full of thorns, and there are many natural and man-made disasters that people cannot predict and cannot stop... Life is like a tyrant. Anyone who despises his rule will be punished. Will lead to bloody revenge. Survival is not easy, and all living beings suffer.

Schopenhauer did not turn this unpleasant feeling into a peaceful and illusory harmony like other philosophers. On the contrary, he faced this real feeling and established his philosophical thoughts. Schopenhauer was more persistent than any philosopher about the nature of things. He only believed in the way things were.

"What Schopenhauer said has now come true. Many people are still reading his works, but none of her mother's works can be handed down.

Schopenhauer's mother can ridicule Schopenhauer. Even if Hua’s books cannot be sold, the world can still laugh at Schopenhauer’s pessimistic philosophy, laugh at Schopenhauer’s “misery” when competing with Hegel, and laugh at his neurosis (he sleeps with a He was even more worried about handing over his head to the barber's razor. Whenever he heard rumors of an infectious disease, he would run out in fear and carry it with him when he was having a banquet in a public place. Leather cups to avoid infection. He hid the bills in old envelopes and hid the gold under the inkwell), laughing at him for being mean and withdrawn, being evil, and laughing at him for having no wife and children... But no one could laugh. He has accomplished nothing, no one can laugh at his lies, and no one can laugh at others for being stubborn! Laozi said: "Not laughing is not enough!"

People often evaluate others from a selfish perspective. If you are of no use to others, then others will have a low opinion of you. Schopenhauer believes that other people's evaluations of themselves are often confusing and make countless mistakes. We should learn to take it calmly. What affects other people's judgments of things is that we don't have to hold grudges. If a person wants to accomplish something, it mainly depends on his own value. When a person understands his own value and works hard to play a role, he will change himself in the eyes of others.

If people don’t know their own value, they will often be led by the opinions of others. Schopenhauer said that whoever values ??other people’s opinions too highly will praise them too much. . Schopenhauer has always been aware of his own value. Even so, during the more than sixty years of unrecognized silence before Schopenhauer established his reputation, he never doubted his natural mission. During the years of silence, it still caused him great pain. He encouraged himself:

“Don’t forget that you are a philosopher. God has asked you to engage in this kind of work. You must not be distracted and don’t follow others. way. To maintain a noble mind and cultivate extraordinary insights, pain and failure are also necessary. Just like a ship, it must have ballast. Otherwise, the ship will become a toy of the wind and can easily capsize.

Pain is the source of inspiration for genius. If you could do whatever you wanted and live comfortably in life, how could the poetic dramas of Shakespeare and Goethe be born? Will Plato still have philosophical thoughts and Kant still have a "Critique of Pure Reason" handed down to the world? ”

Every great soul is a strong person who wins in the struggle between self-affirmation and others’ denial. The enemy is outnumbered; if he loses, he can only be drowned in the ordinary.

A very important reason why Schopenhauer’s philosophy is spread throughout the world is that his philosophy is rooted in reality, is the result of objective observation, and is very practical.

Most importantly. What embodies this is Schopenhauer's unique view of wealth. Schopenhauer said that people should regard their existing wealth as a protective wall against all possible disasters and misfortunes, rather than as a license to live happily. It is a paradise of debauchery. Schopenhauer is a man blessed by fate, and he does not have to worry about money in his life. Schopenhauer also believes that having a huge amount of wealth is very lucky, and money can "relieve poverty in life." The privilege of sorrow is to seek liberation from the fateful slave life of mankind. "Heritage can play its greatest role if it meets people of high moral character.

With great wealth, Schopenhauer can have many choices. He can travel around the world, build a business empire, and indulge in debauchery. He lived a life of luxury...but he chose the most unlikely choice for a "rich second generation" - to dedicate himself to philosophy. He knew his mission well and always reminded himself not to follow the world, nor to follow other people's paths and pick up the wisdom of others. It's not his career. Schopenhauer doesn't have the problem of many literati who "see money as dirt". He has an impartial attitude towards wealth. He clearly understands the importance of money and understands that money can't buy everything. By the time he died, his property had almost doubled. Although he believed that profligacy was more abominable than greed, Schopenhauer was not stingy in life.

Schopenhauer's life was happy, but it was not because he had huge wealth. In a certain translation, I saw the translator’s preface: “In addition to being occasionally ridiculed (it is said that Hegel got the upper hand when he was taking classes at the University of Berlin, and he lost a lawsuit to a woman) , throughout his life, he had everything to eat and drink, and it was considered complete. But he painted life in such a gloomy light, and regarded happiness as so worthless! Pain! "If the translator is willing to read a few more pages of Schopenhauer's "The Wisdom of Life", he will understand what happiness is. The translator believes that if you don’t have to worry about food and clothing, you are perfect and you should live a happy life. Schopenhauer said that no matter at any age, what a person owns is and has always been the real and only source of happiness. Schopenhauer believed that there are two enemies of human happiness: suffering and boredom. Difficulty and poverty produce suffering, whereas comfort and abundance produce boredom. In Schopenhauer's philosophy of happiness, wealth is not the most important. There is no absolute relationship between wealth and happiness. Poor people can also live happily, but rich people may not necessarily live happily. Money is not an equivalent exchange for happiness, it is only a guarantee for people's survival in human society. Nowadays, in the world of prosperous business, almost everyone has to sell something to others and has some fanatical pursuit of money. And Schopenhauer's attitude towards money is exactly the coolant we need now.