Birthdate: 22nd February 1788
Nationality: German
Bio:
Arthur Schopenhauer was born in 1788 in Danzig, Poland (now Gdansk, Poland). He was born to Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer, a wealthy merchant, and Johanna Schopenhauer. His early years were spent traveling around Europe with his wealthy family. He received a thorough education from private tutors and demonstrated an early gift for languages, eventually becoming fluent in English, French, Italian, and Latin.
Schopenhauer began his university studies at the University of Göttingen in 1809. There he took courses across various subjects, but became especially interested in philosophy, metaphysics and science. He was heavily influenced by the philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Plato. In 1813, he earned his doctorate from the University of Jena with his dissertation “On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason.” This dissertation became his first major work and outlined his central philosophical beliefs.
In 1820, Schopenhauer settled in Dresden, Germany where he began work on his magnum opus – “The World as Will and Representation.” Published in 1818, this work defined Schopenhauer’s metaphysical and epistemological views, which centered around the concept of an insatiable, blind, and aimless will as the thing-in-itself that underlies all of objective reality and subjective experience. However, the book was largely ignored during his lifetime. Schopenhauer lived a quiet, reclusive life dedicated to his studies and writing.
Later in life, Schopenhauer saw some success and recognition for his work. His writings became popular in the 1850s and he influenced later 19th century thinkers like Nietzsche and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer never married and had no children. He died in 1860 in Frankfurt at the age of 72, leaving his estate to his housekeeper since his sister was still alive. He is now considered one of the most influential philosophers of the 19th century for his contributions to metaphysics, epistemology and ethics.
