The Two Fundamental Problems Of Ethics — Arthur Schopenhauer

Schopenhauers two essays On the Freedom of the Will and On the Basis of Morals form his complete system of ethics Their doctrines continuous with those in his major work The World as Will and Representation are presented here in more accessible self contained form Schopenhauer argues in uniquely powerful prose that self consciousness gives the illusion of freedom and that human actions are determined but that we rightly feel guilt because our actions issue from our essential individual character He locates moral value in the virtues of loving kindness and voluntary justice that spring from the fundamental incentive of compassion Moralitys basis is ultimately metaphysical resting on an intuitive identification of the self with all other striving and suffering beings These essays newly translated here with an introduction and notes contain a critique of Kants ethics and advance a position that was in turn the target of criticism by Nietzsche

Schopenhauer s two essays On the Freedom of the Will and On the Basis of Morals form his complete system of ethics Their doctrines continuous with those in his major work The World as Will and Representation are presented here in more accessible self contained form Schopenhauer argues in uniquely powerful prose that self consciousness gives the illusion of freedom and that human actions are determined but that we rightly feel guilt because our actions issue from our essential individual character He locates moral value in the virtues of loving kindness and voluntary justice that spring from the fundamental incentive of compassion Morality s basis is ultimately metaphysical resting on an intuitive identification of the self with all other striving and suffering beings These essays newly translated here with an introduction and notes contain a critique of Kant s ethics and advance a position that was in turn the target of criticism by Nietzsche