All of your essays recently have been a reminder that I need to read Schopenhauer. Would you recommend ‘The World as Will and Representation’ for a first-timer?
He has been popping up in my recent ones, it's true. But yeah, that's what I'd go for to start with. My friend who initially got me into him suggested I start with Parerga & Paralipomena, which I did, and it's great, but The World as Will is really his essential work. I think he was trying to ease me in, but tbh I find his writing so lucid that I didn't really need it, and P&P is fun to read once you have the understanding of The World as Will behind you.
Purely as a writer he's one of the biggest influences on me. Questionable at times - as almost all philosophers are - but overall I think his reputation as an extreme pessimist undersells how enjoyable he actually is to read.
Just curious, what's your interpretation of a language like Japanese where a full sentence can be formed of a predicate alone (for example 生きている, ikiteiru, I/He/She/They/ live)?
Sadly despite a few half-hearted Duolingo attempts some years ago I know very little about the Japanese language (I've also dipped my toes into Spanish, French, Mandarin, German and Norwegian, but I never really committed to any of them).
So speaking as a monolinguist with no real expertise here I am fascinated by how language shapes the understanding, as well as the discrepancy and/or harmony between the form of thought and the form of expression. It's an area I want to look into much further than I have - the idea of languages as kind of semi-autonomous thought entities that alter the reality of their speakers is something I find fun to think about.
All of your essays recently have been a reminder that I need to read Schopenhauer. Would you recommend ‘The World as Will and Representation’ for a first-timer?
He has been popping up in my recent ones, it's true. But yeah, that's what I'd go for to start with. My friend who initially got me into him suggested I start with Parerga & Paralipomena, which I did, and it's great, but The World as Will is really his essential work. I think he was trying to ease me in, but tbh I find his writing so lucid that I didn't really need it, and P&P is fun to read once you have the understanding of The World as Will behind you.
Purely as a writer he's one of the biggest influences on me. Questionable at times - as almost all philosophers are - but overall I think his reputation as an extreme pessimist undersells how enjoyable he actually is to read.
Excellent article Jacob!
Just curious, what's your interpretation of a language like Japanese where a full sentence can be formed of a predicate alone (for example 生きている, ikiteiru, I/He/She/They/ live)?
Thanks, William!
Sadly despite a few half-hearted Duolingo attempts some years ago I know very little about the Japanese language (I've also dipped my toes into Spanish, French, Mandarin, German and Norwegian, but I never really committed to any of them).
So speaking as a monolinguist with no real expertise here I am fascinated by how language shapes the understanding, as well as the discrepancy and/or harmony between the form of thought and the form of expression. It's an area I want to look into much further than I have - the idea of languages as kind of semi-autonomous thought entities that alter the reality of their speakers is something I find fun to think about.