Schopenhauer's Aesthetics Notes

Author: Arthur Schopenhauer
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was born in Danzig and is known as the pessimistic philosopher. He claimed, "My character is inherited from my father, while my wisdom is inherited from my mother." The Essays on Aesthetics by Schopenhauer selects 12 articles from Volume II and Volume V of The Collected Works of Schopenhauer that are close to daily life: On Thinking, On Reading and Books, On History, On Literature, On Language and Language Learning, On Writing and Style, On Judgment, Criticism, and Fame, On Scholars and Erudition, etc. Schopenhauer, with his accurate judgment, profound thinking, simple and unadorned writing style, and honest, natural, and substantive approach, elaborates on his understanding of these issues. His arguments, made about 200 years ago, still feel like a fresh and natural breeze in the face, timeless and seemingly "pinpointing current issues." In On Reading and Books, Schopenhauer said: "Bad things are too much even if read little, while good works are too little even if read much." "One of the prerequisites for reading good books is not to read bad books, because life is short, and time and energy are extremely limited." "There is nothing more refreshing than reading ancient classics." The Essays on Schopenhauer's Thought and Aesthetics selects 12 articles from Appendix and Addenda and The World as Will and Representation, Volume II of Schopenhauer: On Thinking, On Reading and Books, On Literature, On History, On Language and Language Learning, Metaphors and Fables, On Judgment, Criticism, and Fame, On Scholars and Erudition, On the Beauty of Nature, On Music, On Writing and Text, On Death. In these articles, Schopenhauer discusses common themes in daily life, using language that is natural and everyday. With his accurate judgment and profound thinking, Schopenhauer deeply elaborates on his understanding of these issues. In On Thinking, he said: "Only what is deeply thought about can become our true knowledge," "Only one's fundamental ideas can have truth and vitality." He opposed extensive reading, believing that the our minds will never automatically become a unified whole of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, easily leading to a Babel-like linguistic chaos. In On Reading and Books, he pointed out: "Bad things are too much even if read little, while good works are too little even if read much." "One of the prerequisites for reading good books is not to read bad books, because life is short, and time and energy are extremely limited." He criticized people for always reading the new rather than the best books of all ages, advocating that "nothing is more refreshing than reading ancient classics." He detested the Hegelian style of writing and promoted a "substantive," "simple and unadorned," and "honest and natural" writing style. Many of his arguments in the book are now 200 years old, yet they still feel like a fresh and natural breeze in the face, as if he were "pinpointing current issues." His profound thoughts and elaborations perfectly embody the meaning of "timeless and ever-renewing."