John Vespasian

Even for a genius like Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), it’s far from self-evident to define success; the feeling of achievement will wane fairly quickly if people are admiring you for reasons that have little to do with your life’s purpose. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer started to experience success in 1830. He was already forty-two years old and had spent decades in obscurity, despite his remarkable work. As of 1830, universities and other institutions started to invite Schopenhauer to give lectures, and journalists published some favourable articles about him. The articles did not clearly describe his philosophy, but at least, they made people curious. Unfortunately, the truth is that, by 1830, only a few hundred people had read Schopenhauer’s masterpiece, “The world as will and representation.” Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-biography-disappointing-success/

The struggling decade in the life of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) encompasses the period between 1817 and 1827, that is, the year he had devoted to writing “The world as will and representation” and the ensuing nine years. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer had very optimistic expectations for his work “The world as will and representation” and did not hesitate to pay for its publications. In the early nineteenth century, we are talking about a substantial investment. In contrast to today’s electronic editing, the publication of a book in 1818 entailed vast amount of typesetting done by hand and the correction of mistakes detected during proofreading. It was a cumbersome, time-consuming process. After receiving the books from the printer, he mailed a few dozen to reviewers in newspapers and magazines. He awaited an enthusiastic response, but was met with total indifference. The lack of response disappointed Schopenhauer, but didn’t affect his self-confidence. He immediately began to plan a new book, expanding the ideas outlined in “The world as will and representation.” Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-biography-the-struggling-decade/

As a student at the University of Berlin, Schopenhauer went to philosophy lectures given by Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814) focusing on the metaphysical ego of the German people. John Vespasian explains that Fichte’s lectures were extremely popular, but Schopenhauer found them nonsensical. He viewed Fichte’s arguments for the existence of a metaphysical German ego as inventions lacking evidence and consistency. In a word, Schopenhauer considered Fichte’s ideas worthless. In contrast to his former quiet life at the Gymnasium and at the University of Göttingen, Schopenhauer had an active social life in Berlin. He attended a large number of lectures, not only in philosophy, and participated in seminars and debates. His transfer from University of Göttingen to the University of Berlin meant that he had definitively quit medicine to focus on philosophy. He had convinced his mother to continue her financial support, but she was unhappy with the situation. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-biography-the-path-to-the-theory-of-the-will/

The biography of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) is worth studying because it provides a wonderful illustration of Schopenhauer’s ideas. He practised what he preached at each opportunity and published extensive notes about his thoughts. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer is one of the best German-language thinkers and essayists, but he was born in Danzig, which is nowadays called Gdansk and belongs to Poland. His parents were both hard-working and successful, each of them in their own way. His mother was named Johanna. By the time Arthur Schopenhauer was still a teenager, she had already attained best-seller status with her romantic novels. Nevertheless, the largest share of the family income came from Arthur Schopenhauer’s father. His full name was Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer and had attained a remarkable success in an import-export business in which he was a partner. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-first-turning-point-in-schopenhauers-biography/

In the life of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), the last two decades are the illustrious years. John Vespasian explains that, during those two decades, Schopenhauer enjoyed the status of a minor celebrity in German-speaking territories. Schopenhauer published “The art of debate” (sometimes translated as “The art of controversy”) in 1839. He had turned fifty-one and was continuing with his strategy of publishing as many short books and essays as possible. The more titles he published, the more attention he attracted from reviewers, and the higher the chances of having one title become a best seller. Schopenhauer gave dozens of lectures, presenting his book “The art of debate.” People applauded and purchased the book, while Schopenhauer enjoyed the sweetness of popularity. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-biography-the-illustrious-years/

The ethics system proposed by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) is similar to Ancient Stoicism in some aspects, but offers more complex explanations on the workings of nature, society, and human motivation. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer theorised that life is fundamentally marked by the influence of the will (“life force”) which will generate a large amount of suffering and dissatisfaction if you fail to take countermeasures. The theory of the will was put forward by Schopenhauer in his work “The world as will and representation” (1818); people are subjected to the influence of the will, driven to ensure their survival, reproduction, and seek short-term pleasure. According to Schopenhauer, the will is prompting humans to continual struggle. It generates more and more desires that cannot all be satisfied. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauer-on-ethics/

Twenty-five centuries ago, Aristotle delineated a philosophy of mind and consciousness that has never been surpassed. His principles, outlined in his books “Categories,” “Metaphysics,” and “Physics,” have withstood the passage of time. His books were written mostly in the period 340-325 BC. John Vespasian explains that the Aristotelian philosophy of mind and consciousness can be condensed in three principles. Let’s enumerate them one by one. First, the definition of human beings as rational creatures. It differentiates Aristotle from his contemporaries Plato (428-347 BC), Zeno (334-262 BC) and Epicurus (341-270 BC). Those gave less weight to reason, and more to emotions and intuition. Second, the acknowledgement of the fact that each person, through his mind and decisions, gives shape to his own life. In his work “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle said that “happiness depends on ourselves,” meaning that it depends on our actions, on our efforts. Third, the recognition that the purpose of human life, and of thinking as a whole, is to achieve happiness. In “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle said that “happiness is the meaning and goal of human life, the central objective of human existence.” Let us explore these three principles in detail. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-three-principles-in-aristotles-philosophy-of-mind-and-consciousness/

The enormous achievements of Aristotle come to light when you compare his ideas with those of other thinkers. John Vespasian explains that, especially during the decade that Aristotle devoted to lecturing in Athens (335-325 BC), he came up with very accurate insights on the nature of reality and existence. As Aristotle explains in his book “Metaphysics,” each entity in the world possesses a unique essence or nature. In broad terms, the essence of an entity is determined by its “material cause” (the matter that constitutes it) and its “formal cause” (its shape). In addition, when entities move, we can also speak of their “efficient cause” (the force that moves them) and “final cause” (the purpose that they want to achieve). Aristotle considered that, by analysing the material, formal, efficient and final cause, we can identify the essence of entities in particular and of existence in general. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-views-on-the-nature-of-reality-and-existence/

The books “Metaphysics” and “Nicomachean Ethics” were written or dictated by Aristotle around 330 BC. They condense his insight on the nature of reality and existence. John Vespasian explains that the key idea in those works is the acknowledgement that existence exists. That essential insight leads to grasping that the world is driven by causality, and that human beings can shape their own destiny. The acknowledgement that existence exists means that we do not need esoteric arguments to understand reality. It means that we do not need to resort to superstition to guide our lives. Prior philosophers had been reluctant to acknowledge the self-standing existence of the cosmos and of all tangible items. For example, Pythagoras (570-495 BC) had been a remarkable mathematician, but totally incapable of analysing facts without mystical explanations. He devoted large efforts to numerology, trying to find supernatural explanations in numbers. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-key-insight-on-the-nature-of-reality-and-existence/

As soon as Aristotle passed away in 322 BC, the enormous importance of his contributions got lost for most people. Only a superficial knowledge of his philosophy remained such as the concepts of potentiality and actuality. John Vespasian explains that, to the detriment of civilisation, the pillar of Aristotle’s ideas was rapidly undermined, lost and forgotten. I am talking about causality, a concept that plays a pivotal role in Aristotle’s views on the nature of reality and existence. “Nature does nothing in vain,” wrote Aristotle in his work titled “Physics.” He meant that every entity and creature can be analysed according to its constituent substance (material cause) and its shape (formal cause), which together define its identity, from which we can infer its purpose (final cause) and source of energy or movement (efficient cause). According to Aristotle, the whole universe, every entity and creature, are striving to attain their purpose. Nothing is taking place randomly. The whole world is self-propelling and creates its own motivation. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-role-of-causality-in-aristotles-views-on-the-nature-of-reality-and-existence/