When Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860) began to question mainstream philosophical ideas, he expected heavy #opposition and criticism. In this respect, he was not disappointed. Almost all twentieth-century thinkers have opposed Schopenhauer and his theory of the will. Hefty opposition was no surprise to Schopenhauer precisely because he had presented his ideas as improvements on those of #immanuelkant (1724-1804), Friedrich #hegel (1770-1831), and other philosophers. Schopenhauer held Kant in high esteem, but despised Hegel profoundly. He considered Hegel a charlatan. When Hegel died due to an epidemic in Berlin, Schopenhauer was jubilant. He only lamented that Hegel had not died earlier, so that the world would have been spared his stupid ideas. At the start of the epidemic, both Hegel and Schopenhauer had been living in Berlin. While Hegel had remained in #berlin and succumbed to the epidemic, Schopenhauer had relocated to #frankfurt at the first sign of danger. As it was typical of him and his philosophy, Schopenhauer had steered away from excessive risks. When he had first read the news about the epidemic, he did not know its true severity, but immediately decided to relocate. Let the fools #risk their lives, if they wish, Schopenhauer had concluded; let people play with fire if they find it amusing, but you should not risk your life or your health in those games. Schopenhauer had quickly taken the right decision because he was relying on a correct philosophy. Hegel had committed a lethal error because he was relying on wrong ideas. Whether you adopt Schopenhauer’s theory of #knowledge or not can have serious consequences. In critical situations, it is a question of life-or-death to make good choices. In the face of severe danger, improvisation, #wishfulthinking and self-delusion may cause severe harm; they can push you in the wrong direction and lead you to quasi-suicidal behaviour. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/opposition-to-schopenhauers-theory-of-knowledge/