Man and Humanity through the Eyes of Schopenhauer
I know very well that as long as a society moves away from these two values, it cannot be paved the way and cannot find the right path. We keep witnessing that the wrongs are not corrected even if the governments change.
I know very well that as long as a society moves away from these two values, it cannot be paved the way and cannot find the right path. We keep witnessing that the wrongs are not corrected even if the governments change. That is why we are back to square one after a short time. Here, I continue to ponder and dive into the sea of thought in order to overcome these.
Well, according to what morality is shaped in such a bad world? According to what will people live in such a pessimistic world design? What is the meaning of the individual's existence in this 'corrupt' order of life? With his answer to these questions, Schopenhauer's discourses on morality come to mind. These are not so easily accepted, of course. When evaluating individuals other than oneself, one should be able to put oneself in their place instead of being accusatory and marginalising. He should try to understand what he might feel when he imaginatively takes his place. Because we are all the same and none of us is pure.
Schopenhauer says that there are only three basic sources of human behaviour in the last book I read. The first of these is selfishness, the second is misery and the last is compassion. In this article, I would like to include Schopenhauer's thoughts on selfishness.
Schopenhauer argues that man does not spontaneously have a well-established morality and that the reason for this is endless selfishness. And he explains it as follows: Everyone wants what he wants for himself, and in order to get what he wants, he behaves in such a way that he harms others. But this is not an individual or intrinsic characteristic of the individual. According to Schopenhauer, it is a general human characteristic. All animals fight for life in a struggle in nature. Man appears to be in solidarity with other human beings when it comes to the struggle with nature. However, no other animal would knowingly and willingly harm another living creature, especially one of its own kind, just for the sake of pleasure. From this point of view, evil is an integral part of the human race. Schopenhauer also treats history in this way. According to him, the whole history of humanity is the history of blood spilt for the sake of human selfishness and ambition.
Although Schopenhauer does not explicitly say that man is intrinsically evil, he says that it cannot be fully explained what such a selfish being relies on when doing good. While existing moral systems insist that man is a moral being, they undoubtedly assert that man is essentially predisposed to goodness. By presenting such a conception of man, Schopenhauer opposes both the dominant moral paradigm and the ethics of duty of Kant, whom he calls his teacher. He attributes the way for man to overcome this tragedy in the lightest way to the Sufi philosophy of life.
He emphasises that the purpose of the Sufis in choosing to live in the immaterial spiritual realm by withdrawing from the worldly sphere is the quest to get rid of their ego. The aim is to realise that they are a part of the great being and to dissolve in it, that is, to reach Nirvana. In this sense, geniuses and sages discipline their souls by making their souls suffer.
Schopenhauer argues that it is necessary to start by accepting the fact that a person who is attached to this world, who lives only by devoting himself to this world, is doomed to be unhappy. Schopenhauer is extremely hopeless and pessimistic when he says that it is useless to dream of a blessed future, that humanity is not progressing, that nothing can get better. However, this point of view does not seem very unfair to the seeing eyes.
Schopenhauer may seem to many as a hopeless and pessimistic, yet incomprehensible personality. But is it not a way of thinking that constantly caresses our habits and contributes to our boasting that is the cause of the appalling plight of humanity? In my opinion, such a thinker, addressing restless consciences, has something to say only to those who have problems with the world and life. I see making a little effort to understand Schopenhauer as equivalent to making an effort to understand ourselves better.
With respect and love