Essays

Schopenhauer is perhaps best known for his 1818 work “The World as Will and Representation” and developed an enduring reputation for his philosophical pessimism, in contrast to the idealism of Immanuel Kant. Much of Schopenhauer’s work is a reaction to post-Kant German romanticism. Despite his failure to gain wide recognition for his philosophy during his lifetime, Schopenhauer has since become regarded as one of Western philosophy’s most important contributors. In 1851 Schopenhauer published “Parerga and Paralipomena”, a collection of philosophical essays which was intended to augment his other philosophical works. Beginning in the late 19th century T. Bailey Saunders began publishing English translations of Schopenhauer’s essays largely drawn from the “Parerga and Paralipomena”. Five volumes of those translations are collected together here in this edition. For the Schopenhauer initiate this collection provides an excellent expansion of Schopenhauer’s philosophical ideas.