Ortrun Schulz Book order

Schopenhauer dealt intensively with Spinoza throughout his whole life. This includes not only enthusiastic agreement, but also harsh rejection. Spinoza's peculiar use of words caused some misunderstandings, which are clarified here. In the course of this, it turns out that Schopenhauer's fundamental view is the same as Spinoza's, which he does not even acknowledge. According to Schopenhauer, Spinoza fails to solve the problem of all ethics, and he provides a fix by borrowing some of Spinoza's own ideas and giving his metaphysics a twist.

Hope is a basic affection of the mind. This philosophical analysis will clarify the concept by dealing with its involvement in knowledge, ethics and metaphysics. Being a belief, oscillating between knowledge and ignorance, hope is prone to illusion and disappointment. Man can be guided and manipulated by hope. Therefore its role within ideology and enlightenment will be investigated. We will reflect on whether hope may be a blessing or an evil and on how intellectual freedom is possible.

Exploring the dual nature of hope as both an emotion and an attitude, this analysis delves into its implications for knowledge, ethics, and metaphysics. It examines how hope can lead to either truth or error based on intellectual probabilities versus willful expectations. The book includes a historical survey of philosophical perspectives on hope, culminating in a critical examination of Schopenhauer's views, particularly in relation to optimism and pessimism, and its role in critiquing ideologies.

Empirical metaphysics serves as the foundation for Schopenhauer's exploration of the essence of the world and living beings, emphasizing a scientific approach to philosophy. He critiques the limitations of sciences that rely on the principle of sufficient reason, arguing they cannot access the true nature of things. Through introspection, he reveals the will to live as a form of causality, extending this understanding to other living beings and the entirety of nature, thereby bridging subjective experience with broader existential truths.