Arthur Schopenhauer. The world as a performance. Understanding the relationship between different ideas
Arthur Schopenhauer was born in Danzig (now Gdansk) in 1788, the son of a wealthy businessman and a future famous writer. Already at the age of 17, he recalled, “without any school education, I was as overcome by a feeling of world sorrow as Buddha was in his youth, when he saw illness, old age, suffering, death” (1:6, 222). Reflecting on the misfortunes of the world, Schopenhauer “came to the conclusion that this world could not be the work of some all-good being, but undoubtedly the work of some devil, who called the creature into existence in order to enjoy the contemplation of torment” (1:6, 222). This extremely pessimistic view was soon modified by Schopenhauer in that he began to assert that although various disasters are inextricably linked with the very existence of the world, this world itself is only a necessary means for achieving the “highest good.” The shift in emphasis also changed Schopenhauer’s interpretation of the deep essence of the world. From a devilish beginning, it turned into an irrational beginning, but unconsciously seeking self-knowledge. The sensory world lost its independent reality, appearing as a nightmare, revealing the irrationality of the world’s essence and pushing towards a “better consciousness.”