Counsels and Maxims

A disciple of Kant and a significant factor in shaping Nietzsche's thinking, Arthur Schopenhauer worked from the foundation that all knowledge derives from our experience of the world but that our experience is necessarily subjective and formed by our own intellect and biases: reality, therefore, is but an extension of our own will. In this essay, translated by THOMAS BAILEY SAUNDERS (1860-1928) and first published in English in the 1890s, Schopenhauer offers his best advice for surviving in the world... and surviving it is, for Schopenhauer was deeply pessimistic of the potential for human happiness, defining the concept chiefly as a "negation of pain." Whether he is limning the inherent loneliness and solitude of all people, even the seemingly most sociable ones, or describing the unstable and transitory nature of all things, the philosopher's basic assumption of human life comes through loud and clear: that it is characterized chiefly by misery. Students of philosophy and of 19th-century intellectualism will find this a fascinating read. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.