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Sämtliche Werke in fünf Bänden (Arthur Schopenhauer) #5

Schopenhauer: Parerga and Paralipomena: Volume 2: Short Philosophical Essays

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With the publication of Parerga and Paralipomena in 1851, there finally came some measure of the fame that Schopenhauer thought was his due. Described by Schopenhauer himself as 'incomparably more popular than everything up till now', Parerga is a miscellany of essays addressing themes that complement his work The World as Will and Representation, along with more divergent, speculative pieces. It includes essays on method, logic, the intellect, Kant, pantheism, natural science, religion, education, and language. The present volume offers a new translation, a substantial introduction explaining the context of the essays, and extensive editorial notes on the different published versions of the work. This readable and scholarly edition will be an essential reference for those studying Schopenhauer, the history of philosophy, and nineteenth-century German philosophy.

699 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1851

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About the author

Arthur Schopenhauer

2,032 books5,987 followers
Arthur Schopenhauer was born in the city of Danzig (then part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; present day Gdańsk, Poland) and was a German philosopher best known for his work The World as Will and Representation. Schopenhauer attempted to make his career as an academic by correcting and expanding Immanuel Kant's philosophy concerning the way in which we experience the world.

He was the son of author Johanna Schopenhauer and the older brother of Adele Schopenhauer.

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5 stars
87 (64%)
4 stars
28 (20%)
3 stars
12 (8%)
2 stars
6 (4%)
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2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Irina Constantin.
228 reviews161 followers
September 5, 2024
Lumea visului și al adevărului se conturează notabil și în al doilea volum de Parerga și Paralipomena. Trei eseuri filosofice de anvergură fără de care am fi mai ușor de lăsat în derivă, mai incompetenți de a gestiona manipulare și frica de necunoscut...
O lectură completă și desăvârșita.
Profile Image for Stephen Rowland.
1,362 reviews72 followers
October 28, 2019
I will not lie and say I read every single essay in this volume. But nearly every one I did read (with the exception of his poetry) I found essential -- as essential as I can find any philosophy. Readers who do not wish to see Schopenhauer's warts in full bloom should skip "On Women." Hopefully one day I will be able to afford the first volume.
Profile Image for Jan Jasič.
31 reviews
April 5, 2023
Skip what u need and reas intensively the rest. You wont be dissapointed. Still better to read this than to talk to my stupid brother 👍
Profile Image for Cameron.
448 reviews21 followers
December 26, 2022
Schopenhauer will keep me alive if nothing else will.
239 reviews184 followers
Read
December 28, 2020
Therefore the task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen, so much as to think what no one has yet thought in that which everyone sees. For this reason it takes so much more to be a philosopher than a physicist.
__________
As long as I survive, let the world perish.
Profile Image for Pancho Pantera.
143 reviews5 followers
June 14, 2025
Schopenhauer describe un tipo de parálisis que no nace de la ignorancia, sino del exceso de lucidez. No es que el individuo no sepa qué hacer, sino que lo ha pensado tanto, lo ha diseccionado tanto, que el impulso primario se ha agotado en la reflexión. La voluntad, que es ciega por naturaleza, necesita moverse, no justificarse. Pero cuando está encadenada a un pensamiento que calcula, anticipa, prevé, y teme, termina por desintegrarse. Así, la conciencia se convierte en su propia trampa: el que sabe mucho, pero no actúa, está ya vencido no por la ignorancia sino por el peso de una visión sin músculo.

En ese marco, detenerse no es un descanso ni una prudencia; es una forma disfrazada de autoanulación. Porque la voluntad, sin dirección, se pudre en forma de tedio, dispersión, deseos cruzados. El cuerpo se deja caer en la cama, no porque no sepa lo que debería estar haciendo, sino porque el saber mismo se ha vuelto insoportable. La razón ha usurpado el lugar del acto, y el sujeto se convierte en espectador del teatro de su propia decadencia. Esto no es pereza, es disociación: la voluntad separada de sí misma, contemplándose desde lejos sin poder saltar al ruedo.

Schopenhauer no ofrece consuelo para esta situación. No habla de superarla con metas ni con propósito. Solo la retrata como lo que es: un síntoma de un mundo gobernado por una voluntad que desea, desea y desea sin fin. Si esa voluntad no encuentra una dirección concreta, clara, limitada, se autodestruye en su propia niebla. Por eso, en su estilo áspero, dice que pensar demasiado es enemigo de la acción. Porque mientras se calcula todo lo que podría salir mal, la realidad ya se ha movido sin ti.

No hay redención posible en el análisis sin ejecución. El pensamiento sin acto es solo una forma sofisticada de evasión. El mundo no cambia por haberlo entendido mejor, sino por haberlo tocado con el cuerpo, con la decisión, con el riesgo. La lucidez puede ser una condena si no está aliada al coraje. Schopenhauer, en su crudeza, no te invita a levantarte con motivación. Te empuja con un espejo sin piedad: si sigues detenido sabiendo lo que debes hacer, no es porque el mundo sea difícil, sino porque tú, sabiendo demasiado, dejaste que la voluntad se oxide esperando un momento perfecto que no existe.

Y lo más trágico, diría él, es que este tipo de lucidez inmóvil se parece a la inteligencia, pero no lo es. Es solo dolor intelectualizado. El único remedio —si lo hay— es brutal: actuar sin esperar aprobación interior. Moverse sin certezas. Porque pensar no te va a salvar. Solo actuar rompe la maldición. Y si no actúas, no es que estés esperando algo más alto. Estás eligiendo morir lentamente en nombre de una idea que no se encarna.
Profile Image for Michael Baranowski.
444 reviews13 followers
August 6, 2020
Most definitely not for everyone, but for those who appreciate Schopenhauer's philosophy and style, there's a lot to like here. Too many of the later essays are really only tiny snippets, which can become tiresome.
Profile Image for Moisés Hidalgo.
13 reviews
September 18, 2019
A pesar de que reparte odio por doquier, Schopenhauer es uno de mis favoritos. Empecé a leerlo porque encontré una cita de este libro. Me encanta.
Profile Image for Jean-paul Audouy.
347 reviews6 followers
Read
March 9, 2023
Still accurate. A lot of what is written about fame, glory, honour could apply to nowadays social media.
Profile Image for Aysen Teksen.
10 reviews
February 27, 2013
"Cehalet ancak zenginlikle bir arada olduğu zaman soysuzlaştırıcıdır"
"Çok bilgelikte çok keder var ve bilgisini arttıran kederini arttırır"
"Her insanın serbest zamanı ancak kendisi kadar kıymetlidir"
"Sıradan insan zamanı nasıl harcayacağını yetenekli insan ise nasıl kullanacağını düşünür"
"Yalnızlıkta ortaya çıkan yalnızca kendinizsiniz."
Okumak Yazmak ve Yaşamak Üzerine Parerga 2, 12, 13, 14 bölümler
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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