The Oxford Handbook of Schopenhauer

More than two hundred years after the publication of his seminal The World as Will and Representation, Arthur Schopenhauer's influence is still felt in philosophy and beyond. As one of the most readable and central philosophers of the 19th century, his work inspired the most influential thinkers and artists of his time, including Nietzsche, Freud, and Wagner. Though known primarily as a herald of philosophical pessimism, the full range of his contributions is displayed here in a collection of thirty-one essays on the forefront of Schopenhauer scholarship. Essays written by contemporary Schopenhauer scholars explore his central notions, including the will, empirical knowledge, and the sublime, and widens to the interplay of ethics and religion with Schopenhauer's philosophy. Authors confront difficult aspects of Schopenhauer's work and legacy--for example, the extent to which Schopenhauer adopted ideas from his predecessors compared to how much was original and visionary in his central claim that reality is a blind, senseless "will," the effectiveness of his philosophy in the field of scientific explanation and extrasensory phenomena, and the role of beauty and sublimity in his outlook. Essays also challenge prevailing assumptions about Schopenhauer by exploring the fundamental role of compassion in his moral theory, the Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist aspects of his philosophy, and the importance of asceticism in his views on the meaning of life. The collection is an internationally constituted work that reflects upon Schopenhauer's philosophy with authors presently working across the globe. It demonstrates fully the richness of Schopenhauer's work and his lasting impact on philosophy and psychoanalysis, as well as upon music, the visual arts, and literature.

Robert Wicks is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His publications, which include ten books and many articles, range over 19th century European philosophy, Kant, existentialism, aesthetics, and Asian philosophy.

Introduction - Robert Wicks PART I Biographical Context and Philosophical Influences 1. Schopenhauer's Intellectual Relationship with Goethe: An Ambivalent Affinity Adrian Del Caro 2. Karl Christian Friedrich Krause's Influence on Schopenhauer's Philosophy Benedikt Paul Göcke 3. Schopenhauer's Understanding of Schelling Judith Norman and Alistair Welchman 4. Fichte and Schopenhauer on Knowledge, Ethics, Right, and Religion Yolanda Estes 5. Schopenhauer and the Orient Urs App PART II Metaphysics of Will and Empirical Knowledge 6. The Enduring Kantian Presence in Schopenhauer's Philosophy Sandra Shapshay 7. Schopenhauer on the Will as the Window to the World Ivan Soll 8. Force in Nature - Schopenhauer's Scientific Beginning D. G. Carus 9. Schopenhauer and Hume on Will and Causation Severin Schroeder 10. Schopenhauer's Haunted World: The Use of Weird and Paranormal Phenomena to Corroborate His Metaphysics David Cartwright 11. The Mystery of Freedom Pilar López de Santa María PART III Aesthetic Experience, Music, and the Sublime 12. Classical Beauty and the Expression of Personal Character in Schopenhauer's Aesthetics Robert Wicks 13. The Genius and the Metaphysics of the Beautiful Maria Lucia Mello Oliveira Cacciola 14. Schopenhauer and the Paradox of the Sublime Bart Vandenabeele 15. Schopenhauer and the Metaphysics of Music Paul Gordon PART IV HUMAN MEANING, POLITICS, AND MORALITY 16. The Moral Meaning of the World Christopher Janaway 17. Schopenhauer's Pessimism in Context Mark Migotti 18. Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy: Responding to Senselessness Robert Guay 19. Schopenhauer on Law and Justice Raymond B. Marcin 20. Schopenhauer, Buddhism, and Compassion Richard Reilly 21. Schopenhauer and Confucian Thinkers on Compassion Douglas Berger PART V RELIGION AND SCHOPENHAUER'S PHILOSOPHY 22. Schopenhauer and the Diamond-Sutra Christopher Ryan 23. Schopenhauer and Hindu Thought R. Raj Singh 24. Schopenhauer and Christianity Gerard Mannion 25. The Inscrutable Riddle of Schopenhauer Relations to Jews and to Judaism Jacob Golomb PART VI Schopenhauer's Influence 26. Post-Schopenhauerian Metaphysics: Hartmann, Mainländer, Bahnsen, and Nietzsche Sebastian Gardner 27. Nietzsche's Schopenhauer Tom Stern 28. Schopenhauer and the Unconscious Stephan Atzert 29. Schopenhauer's Influence on Wagner Kevin C. Karnes and Andrew J. Mitchell 30. Schopenhauer's Fin de Siècle Reception in Austria Paul Bishop 31. The Next Metaphysical Mutation: Schopenhauer as Michel Houellebecq's Educator Christopher A. Howard