Schopenhauer is the most readable of German philosophers. This book gives a succinct explanation of his metaphysical system, concentrating on the original aspects of his thought, which inspired many artists and thinkers including Nietzsche, Wagner, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer`s central notion is that of the will - a blind, irrational force that he uses to interpret both the human mind and the whole of nature. Seeing human behaviour as that of a natural organism governed by the will to life, Schopenhauer developed radical insights concerning the unconscious and sexuality which influenced both psychologists and philosophers.

Table of Contents:
1: Schopenhauer`s life and works
2: Within and beyond appearance
3: The world as will and representation
4: Will, body, and the self
5: Character, sex, and the unconscious
6: Art and ideas
7: Ethics: seeing the world aright
8: Existence and pessimism
9: Schopenhauer`s influence
Further reading

Author Information:
Christopher Janaway, Birkbeck College, University of London