资源描述:
《Schopenhauer’ s Pessimism》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在行业资料-天天文库。
1、PhilosophyandPhenomenologicalResearchVol.Lxxm,No.3,November2006Schopenhauer’sPessimismJORDIFERNANDEZMacquarieUniversityTheAustralianNationalUniversityMypurposeinthisessayistoclarifyandevaluateArthurSchopenhauer’sgroundsfortheviewthathappinessisimpossible.1shalld
2、istinguishtwoofhisargumentsforthatviewandarguethatbothofthemareunsound.Bothargumentsinvolveprem-isesgroundedonaproblematicview,namely,thatdesireshavenoobjects.Whatmakesthisviewproblematicisthat,ineachofthetwoarguments,itconflictswithSchopenhauer’sgroundsforother
3、premisesintheargument.Ishallthenproposeawayoffixingbotharguments.Thesolutioninvolvessubstitutingtheviewthatdesireshavenoobjectswiththeviewthatwehaveadesiretohavedesires.Thelatterview,1shallargue,candothegroundingworkthattheformerdoesinSchopenhauer’sargumentsbut,
4、unlikeit,theviewthatwedesiretodesireiscon-sistentwithSchopenhauer’sgroundsfortherestofpremisesinthosearguments.1.IntroductionMypurposeinthisessayistoclarifyArthurSchopenhauer’sgroundsfortheviewthathappinessisimpossible.Ishalldistinguishtwoofhisargumentsforthatvi
5、ew,IwillhighlightaproblemthatiscommontobothofthemandproposeasolutiontoitthatisconsistentwithseveralofSchopenhauer’sviews.Insectiontwo,IshallspellouttheviewcontainedinSchopenhauer’sclaimthathappinessisimpossible.Ishallcallthisview‘conditionalpessimism’.Insectiont
6、hree,IshalldiscussSchopenhauer’sreasonsforadifferentview,thatis,theviewthatdesiringispainful.Schopenhauer’sreasonsforitarebasicallytwo,namely,thatdesiresoriginateinneedsandthatthoseneedsarepainful.Insectionfour,IshalldiscussanargumentforSchopenhauer’sconditional
7、pessimismthatcombinestheviewthatdesiringispainfulwiththeviewthatsatisfyingallofourdesiresisimpossible,whichIwillcall‘theargumentfromthelackofsatisfaction’.Insectionfive,IwilldiscussadifferentargumentforSchopenhauer’sconditionalpessimism,whichIshallcall‘theargume
8、ntfromboredom’.Theargumentfromboredomalsoinvolvestheviewthatdesiringispain-ful,butitcombinesitwiththeviewthatsatisfyinganyofourdesiresleadsustoboredom.Insectionsix,Is