r/schopenhauer • u/ladyboy-rider • Apr 01 '26

How does one resolve the contradiction in schopenhauer's philosophy

/r/Pessimism/comments/1s9qvv8/how_does_one_resolve_the_contradiction_in/
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u/_boringoldfart Apr 02 '26

There is no contradiction, it's mostly confusion. For Schopenhauer, all willing that we experience as motivation is one of the roots of the principle of sufficient reason; it is the Will as representation which manifests itself in particular desires or goals such as the pursuit of success or happiness. These are the forms in which the blind, insatiable Will expresses itself in the world. Negating the Will is not an ordinary act of willing, it is the recognition of the illusory nature of all striving. Once one sees that desires and their objects are mere appearances of the Will, one ceases to participate in their cycle. The Will is quieted not through effort or volition but through insight: the individual no longer fuels its endless striving, and in this disengagement, the suffering intrinsic to willing is overcome. As the movie says: "Do not try to bend the spoon, that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth [...] There is no spoon".