John Vespasian

The idea of freedom in Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) is linked to his philosophy of the will. He outlined his concept of the will in his major works “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1808) and “The world as will and representation” (1818).
According to Schopenhauer, the will (which I translate as “life force”) is the underlying force driving all human actions, goals and desires.
Schopenhauer defined the will as an insatiable and irrational force that drives human beings towards reproduction and other goals such as success, fame, and wealth accumulation.
From this perspective, individual freedom is influenced by the relentless demands of the will. Humans are pushed to seek the satisfaction of endless desires, leading to inevitable failure and frustration.
https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauer-and-freedom/

I’m going to point to several examples to illustrate the views of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the nature of human existence. The examples are drawn from famous literary works depicting challenging situations that put Schopenhauer’s advice to the test.
Before starting with the examples, let me summarise in four paragraphs Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence.
First, living creatures are driven by the will, which I translate as “life force” or “primal energy;” the will drives them towards reproduction and survival. The will generates one desire after another. Some of them can be fulfilled, others not.
Second, the influence of the will can have disastrous effects on humans because it drives them towards decisions that fulfil short-term desires but without considering the costs, risks, and liabilities. These aspects are presented in Schopenhauer’s book “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason,” published in 1814.
Third, unless you adopt countermeasures, you are likely to succumb to the influence of the will and pay a high price. Your career, finances, reputation and health are at risk. It is in your interest to stay alert and steer away from questionable choices. These aspects are outlined in Schopenhauer’s book “The world as will and representation” (1818).
Fourth, human beings can adopt countermeasures to reduce the negative influence of the will, avoid suffering and increase happiness. The measures involve self-discipline, risk reduction and keeping a margin of safety. The countermeasures are found in Schopenhauer’s book “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851).
https://johnvespasian.com/examples-of-schopenhauers-views-on-the-nature-of-existence/

The stunning accuracy of the intuitions and insights gained by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) becomes apparent when we compare him with other philosophers. Many have attacked Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence but the attacks have only served to reinforce his positions.
You cannot dismiss Schopenhauer by saying that he was too pessimistic or nihilistic. Why not? Because, when you analyse the details, you will see that his observations match reality. For better or for worse, he was objective and precise.
Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence rest on his theory of the will, the life force that drives all living creatures. The will awakens endless desires in us, and if you do not know how to counteract it, you are likely to make dire mistakes.
His work “Parerga and Paripomena” (1851) gives valuable advice to minimise suffering and secure happiness. You cannot categorise as pessimistic a philosopher who identifies risks and outlines effective countermeasures.
https://johnvespasian.com/impact-of-schopenhauers-views-on-the-nature-of-existence/

The concept of the will (which I translate as “life force” or “primal energy”) plays the key role in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). He argued that a blind, irrational, overwhelming force drives all creatures to reproduce, sustain their own lives, and improve their situation.
According to Schopenhauer, the will is exerting relentless pressure on humans, prompting them to pursue objectives that are often impossible to achieve. The inevitable result is failure, setbacks and disappointments.
Schopenhauer objected to the optimistic ideals of thinkers such as Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831). He objected to the theory that history is driven to the realisation of a particular goal, let alone, the realisation of a perfect society.
https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-views-on-the-nature-of-existence/

I prefer to solve problems in one go if possible, but this will prove impossible on many occasions. Why? Because of lack of information, resources or self-discipline. On many occasions, I will discover too late that problems are more complex, serious, and wide-ranging than originally estimated.
Lao-Tzu must have come to the same conclusion when he wrote the Tao Te Ching because, in Chapter 48, he enunciated that principle of daily learning and practice of the non-action principle.
The more we know, the more precisely we can identify what to let go. It is an iterative process in which we learn as we go. I regard it as unrealistic, for most problems, to come up with the perfect solution at the beginning.
Unless you are very familiar with the problem at hand, you won’t grasp its full scope in a first approximation. Even in the unlikely case that you do, chances are that you will not be able to forecast the side effects and indirect costs of each solution. As a result, you may need to go through a few iterations until you get the problem solved.
Chapter 48 exhorts us to gain knowledge each day, and then use the knowledge to discard the unnecessary in our lives. The term “unnecessary” should be given a broad interpretation. It’s meant to encompass the redundant, the inconsistent, the broken and the ineffective elements in our lifestyle.
When discussing the need for iterations, the psychological and motivational elements are rarely mentioned, but they play a central role. They explain why, even if we exert large efforts, we will still need several iterations to solve our problems.
Everybody would like to possess sufficient self-discipline to turn his life around, but in practice, few people do. One thing is to know that we should improve our nutrition and do sports more often; another thing is to be able to modify our lifestyle overnight.
https://johnvespasian.com/why-taoist-non-action-requires-iterations/

Once upon a time, a middle-aged executive was facing such severe problems that he decided to visit a Taoist hermit and ask for advice. The trip consumed one and half days because of the poor infrastructure in the area where the hermit lived.
The local airport had few connections and featured a rental car office that closed at 7pm. The executive’s flight landed far later than planned, preventing him from picking up the car he had booked.
Undeterred, he called up a taxi, was told that he would have to wait for an hour, and said yes. When the taxi finally arrived, the executive instructed the driver to take him to the hermit’s home.
“No problem,” said the driver. “I know where it is. I’ve been there many times.”
“How come?” inquired the executive. “I thought that he was a hermit.”
“Well, if he is, he didn’t tell me,” replied the driver.
Despite the late arrival, the hermit came out of his home as soon as the taxi came to a standstill.
“Welcome,” said the hermit joyfully, opening the taxi’s door while the executive was paying the driver. “We have kept your dinner warm.”
Upon entering the house, the executive was greeted by the hermit’s wife, led to the dining room, and treated to a delicious dinner, accompanied by conversation about the local cuisine.
“I did not know that you had a wife,” said the executive.
“We got married two months ago,” answered the hermit.
The executive wondered whether the hermit’s marital status was compatible with someone being called a hermit, but opted for keeping the question to himself.
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, the hermit and the executive sat down on easy chairs on the veranda. The sight of the surrounding mountains was breathtaking.
“I need your help,” said the executive right away. “A friend of yours recommended me to come here.”
“I know. He told me. I will do my best to help you.”
“I have so many problems that I do not even know where to start.”
https://johnvespasian.com/non-action-as-an-enabling-factor/

People nowadays often complain that life is too complicated and stressful. There are too many electronic systems to be used and they are constantly being changed; and there are too many requirements for doing everyday tasks, and those requirements are constantly being modified.
No wonder that many admire the Taoist serenity and want to follow the advice in Chapter 44 of the Tao Te Ching, namely, to avoid the traps of the world, to stay within their own range of action, and enjoy every moment of their lives.
However, unless they take it seriously, I fear that their wish for serenity is not going to be fulfilled. Why? Because it takes sustained effort to avoid the traps of the world and stay within one’s range of action.
For starters, we need to learn to detect the traps of the world before we fall into them. How can we increase our capacity to detect those traps? How can we increase our sensitivity in this area? As proven by the daily news, that’s easier said than done.
Excessive food and alcohol consumption, imprudent driving and drug abuse are omnipresent. Aggressive and inconsiderate behaviour can be observed all over the place; and far too many people display an abusive, solipsistic attitude.Feasibility
I would not give any credence to individuals claiming that it is impossible to behave ethically in today’s world. They affirm that they would be able to behave ethically if they lived in a simple society like Ancient China, but that they cannot do it in today’s context.
Their statements of potential virtue are equivalent to desires of potential purity after having voluntarily besmirched oneself. Such statements are as useless as checks issued by a bankrupt saving bank. If you try to cash those checks, they’ll never clear.
Happiness and virtue signalling are incompatible. The more virtue signalling is done, the less happiness will ensue. Energy can be spent on beneficial or detrimental activities, but not on both at the same time. This simple truth stands uncontested.
https://johnvespasian.com/how-taoist-non-action-furthers-happiness/

To affirm or imply that “more is less” has distinct Orwellian connotations. I wonder if anyone can seriously argue that more is less, or that less is more, in any area of life. Even pre-school children can figure out that more ice cream is preferable to less ice cream, and more cookies preferable to fewer cookies.
In philosophy, some modern gurus try to get away with anti-mathematical statements, but their arguments are normally met with intense scepticism. For the average person, it is obvious that more is more and less is less, and no amount of verbal mystification will make them think otherwise.
In the West, Taoism is sometimes presented as the doctrine that maintains that less is more. I can only assume that such a distorted characterization aims at making Taoists look foolish.
Did Lao-Tzu actually say that less is more? No, not in those exact terms, but he viewed the non-action principle as a crucial element of his philosophy. The non-action principle does not say that less is more, but that a narrow focus leads to far better results.
In terms of my prior example, Lao-Tzu did not say that less ice cream is better than more ice cream, but that we can make more ice cream with less effort if we stop doing other things at the same time.Dead weight
When it comes to attaining happiness, the Taoist non-action principle plays a decisive role. It prompts us to define priorities clearly, drop secondary issues, and focus our efforts on the key steps.
Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu used the non-action principle in many of their stories to illustrate the need of letting go of dead weight; they never said that less is more, but that we should let go of unpromising projects and do only what works.
https://johnvespasian.com/happiness-and-the-taoist-non-action-principle/

Michel de Montaigne’s biography (5 of 5): joy until the last minute
https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-5-of-5-joy-until-the-last-minute/

Michel de Montaigne’s biography (4 of 5): the pinnacle years
https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-biography-the-pinnacle-years/