The world as will and representation
31% recommend69% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Dense but rewarding philosophy that readers say shaped their views on science, art and politics; the first volume is praised as accessible and original, and suits readers curious about how the world appears to us.
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* Philosophy Arthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation. Surprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius. * Poetry John Milton - Paradise Lost Powerful…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗…requires years of hard study of music, mathematics, and cultural history. The game is essentially an abstract synthesis of all arts and sciences. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game --- The World as Will and Representation - by Arthur Schopenhauer > The phrase "Tat Tvam Asi" ('thou art that'), one of the Mahāvākyas of the Upanishads, displayed on an Indian temple. Schopenhauer uses this Sanskrit phrase to express a foundational…
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Representation" [1]. This book basically shaped my views on science, philosophy, art, literature, religion, music, politics and architecture, in a very profound way. The first volume is incredibly accessible, highly…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…pick up this book! For those interested, the two source texts to consider in light of this book if you don't want to dig too deep, Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics and Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation are both public domain and relatively accessible/clear for the subject matter.
on “Yes, Free Will Exists” ↗…in the West to share key aspects of Indian philosophy. He was very critical of Christianity, and was a staunch atheist. Bryan Magee's 'The Philosophy of Schopenhauer' is an excellent companion to The World as Will and Representation and well worth reading.
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗…experience. However, while the reference to Heidegger was apt, I would also suggest people interested in this seemingly unbridgeable difference between the world and its representation read Schopenhauer's World as Will and Representation, and if that doesn't fully satisfy you, also Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy. The trouble that philosophy has always come across is the issue of how we are able, in a…
on “Cognitive Decoupling and Banana Phones” ↗The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer
on “Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?” ↗Reading The World as Will and Representation presented me with several insights on the under considered nature of this era's technological revolution. The philosophical issues presented by this era have likely been considered in full generally,…
on “Schopenhauer: On Reading and Books” ↗'The world as will and representation' is probably the most important. I would actually just recommend a book that does a summary of all his books, that's enough in my opinion. His stuff is very hard to read and I often had to ask professionals…
on “Ask HN: Which book had the biggest impact on your personality?” ↗…"The World as Will and Idea." "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" by Jacques Ellul is the book I have read that best explains the human experience in the modern media environment. Like "The World as Will and Representation," it also forms a sort of complete system, which can be read as an organic whole as well as with self-referential parts. I believe most of the "alienation" we experience from technology, which is often…
on “Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?” ↗…(in my experience, it can be the "right thing to do" in large organisations detached from true ethics). But if Steve felt it this way, then it was this way (see Schopenhauer's most influential work, The World as Will and Representation)
on “Steve Yegge quits Google in the middle of his speech [OSCON Data 2011]” ↗> Arthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation. Actually just ordered this about a week ago. Read a couple articles about him and got the impression that he shares a lot with early Christianity (and also Buddhism) > Marcel Proust - In Search of…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗Sounds a lot like one of the main topics of "The World as Will and Representation" by Schopenhauer
on “Ask HN: What thought (or idea) has changed your life the most?” ↗> As software engineers, I get the feeling we’re moving almost entirely away from code. Wille-Driven Development — I prefer the word from Schopenhauer's Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung (The World as Will and Representation). What we will begins to matter more. The gap between desire and existence is collapsing. In Genesis, creation is a pure speech-act: fiat lux, and it was so — no implementation details, no build step,…
on “Intent-Driven Development” ↗…Open Society and its Enemies (especially in regards to Hegel). There's also evidence that Popper's interpretation of Kant is through Schopenhauer: the Principle of Sufficient Reason, the first book of World as Will and Representation, and the appendix to the first volume also function as a good emendation of and commentary upon on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason and Prolegomena.
on “How Schopenhauer’s thought can illuminate a midlife crisis” ↗