David Bather Woods, "Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist" (U Chicago Press, 2025)

About this episode

This episode explores the life and philosophical contributions of Arthur Schopenhauer, focusing on his pessimism and its impact on Western thought.

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy’s Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer’s pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn’t one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world…

Topics covered

• Arthur Schopenhauer
• philosophy
• pessimism
• biography

Keywords

• David Bather Woods
• U Chicago Press
• influence
• existence
• suffering

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist

Books & works: Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist, The Proustian Mind, The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook, Ph.D.

Places: the Free City of Danzig, New Zealand

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