KINGDOM OF PRUSSIA AUTHOR · PHILOSOPHY · HISTORY
Arthur Schopenhauer
Also known as: Arturo Schopenhauer, Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his atheistic pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the fundamental question of whether reason alone can unlock answers about the world. Schopenhauer's most influential work, The World as Will and Representation, emphasized the role of man's basic motivation, which Schopenhauer called will. His analysis of will led him to the conclusion that emotional, physical, and sexual desires can never be fulfilled. Consequently, he favored a lifestyle of negating human desires, similar to the teachings of ancient Greek Stoic philosophers, Buddhism, and Vedanta.
I have come to this beautiful, historic city after many years.
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Most acclaimed
Religion
Religion: A Humanist Interpretation represents a lifetime's work on the anthropology of religion from a rather distinctive personal viewpoint. Raymond Firth treats religion as a human art, capable of great intellectual and artistic achievements, also of complex manipulation to serve human interests of those who believe in it and operate it. His study is comparative, drawing material from a range of religions around the world. This anthropological approach to the study of religion covers themes ranging from religious belief and personal adjustment; gods and God; offering and sacrifice; religion and politics; Malay magic and spirit mediumship; truth and paradox in religion. The volume is illustrated with examples from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and other religions from Africa and Oceania.
Essays and aphorisms
One of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer (1788-1860) believed that human action is determined not by reason but by 'will' - the blind and irrational desire for physical existence. This selection of his writings on religion, ethics, politics, women, suicide, books and many other themes is taken from Schopenhauer's last work, Parerga and Paralipomena, which he published in 1851. These pieces depict humanity as locked in a struggle beyond good and evil, and each individual absolutely free within a Godless world, in which art, morality and self-awareness are our only salvation. This innovative - and pessimistic - view has proved powerfully influential upon philosophy and art, directly affecting the work of Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and Wagner among others.
Selections
Born in India and considered the leading poet on the South Asian subcontinent, Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) was a two-time Nobel nominee and winner of the 1962 Lenin Peace Prize. His evening readings in Hindi/Urdu-speaking regions drew thousands of listeners. Associated with the Communist party in his youth, Faiz became an outspoken poet in opposition to the Pakistani government. He was also a professor of English literature, a distinguished editor and a major figure in the Afro-Asian writer's movement. This volume offers a selection of Faiz's poetry in a bilingual Urdu/English edition with a new introduction by poet and translator Agha Shahid Ali.