Arthur Schopenhauer: Philosopher of Pessimism (Subtitles Available)

source: Philosophical Overdose     2016年2月20日
Frederick Copleston and Bryan Magee discuss the work of the 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer is perhaps most famous for his extreme pessimism. Seeing the world as something horrific and bleak, he urged that we turn against it. Following Immanuel Kant, he took space, time, and causality to be categories of the mind through which we interpret and make sense of things. However, in contrast to Kant, Schopenhauer argued that reality must ultimately be "One", and he used this Monism to ground his ethical views regarding values. He also argued that "will" or "energy" was fundamental in the physical world. Schopenhauer was remarkable for many things, including being the only major Western philosopher to draw serious and interesting parallels between Western and Eastern thought. He was also the first major philosopher to openly identify as an atheist. He had a significant influence on thinkers like Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Freud, especially regarding his notion of the will and the unconscious. And he also had an impact on many artists and musicians, like Wagner. The arts were particularly important for Schopenhauer not only because they give us a glimpse into the underlying reality, but because they help us to escape the inherent suffering and meaningless absurdity of existence.
This interview is from a 1987 BBC program. I think it's one of the best.
Transcript/subtitles are available.