Wednesday, May 09, 2007

the world as will and representation, Chapter 1

" The world is my representation...[the reflective person] does not
know a sun and an earth, but only an eye that sees a sun,
a hand that feels an earth."
Schopenhauer, Arthur, The World as Will and Representation, E.F.J. Payne, trans. Dover, New york,1969.p.3

Schopenhauer argues for the supremacy of the subject, not because of the lack of a material world. Rather he argues we only know that world through subjective experience. The failure to avoid solipsism is a fault that he acuses the british philosopher Berkeley of, while commending berkely's assertion of subjective nature of experience.
(ibid).

This reflects view that Schopenhauer frequently expresses throughout WWR, that he is a kantian, and only desires to correct Kant's few mistakes. Thus Schopenhauer tries to deal with the divide between the noumenal world(what really is) and our subjective experience of that world(which may or may not reflect the actual state of reality).

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"If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country."
-E.M. Forster