Science And War Essay Research Paper Schopenhauer

Science And War Essay, Research Paper

Schopenhauer had an understanding of the Will, which has to separate parts. The

Will to Life and Human Will. The Will to Life, was the over all striving that

every animal did on a daily basis, the striving for the will to live.

Schopenhauer, believed that the nature of life was suffering and that this

suffering was manifested in the will to live. However, this will, in humans, was

also manifested by Human Will, or striving for that life, such as studying,

reading, etc. This human will also lead to suffering and strife, for as soon as

humans would reach one goal, another set of problems or suffering would appear.

In fact, Schopenhauer believed that if humans recognized how much suffering that

there is in life and in the world, that they would want to kill themselves.

However, if you look at all that suffering and decide to live anyways then you

have conquered the will and you will no longer truly suffer. In quite a Buddhist

theme, you have become liberated and redeemed from life. Moreover, there is a

sense of passive acceptance, where one realizes to detach themselves from

society. This is explained when Schopenhauer states, ?The denial of the will

to live does not in any way imply the annihilation of a substance; it means

merely the act of non-violation: that which previously willed, wills no more.

The will is a philosophical substance that can not be removed or killed. Why is

it then that Science can not understand the will as interpreted by Schopenhauer?

Schopenhauer believed that the will was an Idea, which was in it?s own

category. A category different form the a priori and the a posteriori. Science,

according to Schopenhauer, is an a priori concept. A priori judgments take sense

perception and molds it into a category. Schopenhauer believed that this world

of sense perception and categories is a creation of the person or mind who

created it. Therefore, Schopenaheur believes that ?the world is a duality of

the will and idea.? Science, according to Schopenhauer is concerned with

categories and goals and the will for Schopenhauer, has none of these things.

The will has no goal and is therefore unable to be understood by science.

Furthermore, the will has no subcomponents or hidden parts, it is simply the

will, or the desire to survey. It can not be described in an a priori sense,

because it cannot be molded into a category and since Science is an a priori

concept, it is unable to explain the will in its sense. Furthermore, the will

cannot be molded or shaped, there is no way to destroy the will, it is

philosophical, unlike a sensation and therefore, it can not easily be perceived

in any light. The medium of science was, according to Schopenhauer, unable to

process or mold, the will in it?s concept and therefore, is unable to deal

with the problems of life.