The Will-to-Life

The Philosphy of Arthur Schopenhauer

PH 102 | MAY 2019

JAMES JEFFERSON TAN
 “It is a perennial philosophical reflection that if
one looks deeply enough into oneself, one will
discover not only one’s own essence, but also the
essence of the universe. For as one is a part of the
universe as is everything else, the basic energies
of the universe flow through oneself, as they flow
through everything else. For that reason it is
thought that one can come into contact with the
nature of the universe if one comes into
substantial contact with one’s ultimate inner
being.”

Stanford Encyclopedia Analysis on the World as Will

by Arthur Schopenhauer
The will-to- What is it?

life
“For Schopenhauer, this is not the principle of self-
consciousness and rationally-infused will, but is
rather what he simply calls “Will” — a mindless,
aimless, non-rational impulse at the foundation of
our instinctual drives, and at the foundational
being of everything.”
 Insight

Be a net positive.
If everything in this universe is truly out of our control and power. Then we must be aware of the choices we
make and make a conscious effort to be a net-positive in the world because by consciously creating net
positivity in the universe we are thus creating net-positivity for ourselves since we are a manifestation of
everything and everyone around us.
 Love and the Will-to-Life

IS LOVE REAL?
The ultimate manifestation and goal of the will-to-life is for humans to fall in love because in turn by doing so
people are able to continue the species and propagate.
 "There is only one inborn error, and that is the
notion that we exist in order to be happy... So long
as we persist in this inborn error... the world will
seem to us full of contradictions. For at every step,
in great htings and small, we are bound  to
expereince that the world and life are certainly
not arranged for the purpose of being happy. "

-Arthur Schopenhauer
A Life of
Eternal
Frustration.

We will always be endlessly

striving for nothing in particular.
It is a world beyond any
ascription of good and evil.
 Insight

Be a net positive.
If everything in this universe is truly out of our control and power. Then we must be aware of the choices we
make and make a conscious effort to be a net-positive in the world because by consciously creating net
positivity in the universe we are thus creating net-positivity for ourselves since we are a manifestation of
everything and everyone around us.