Philosophies for Life 94: 7 Dark Truths of Life – Arthur Schopenhauer
Jul 31, 2025
27:18
In this podcast, we will be talking about 7 dark truths of life from the wisdom of Arthur Schopenhauer. He is mostly known for his famous book “The World as Will and Representation”. He is known as the ultimate pessimist and his idea reflects philosophical pessimism.
So here are 7 dark truths of life from the wisdom of Arthur Schopenhauer -
01. Pleasure is Just the Brief Absence of Pain
02. Growth is Desire in Disguise
03. Love is Nature’s Trick
04. Loneliness Is the Price of True Wisdom
05. Compassion is the Highest Form of Strength
06. Art and Philosophy Are Escapes from the Madness
07. Letting Go Is the Only Escape from Endless Wanting
I hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope these 7 dark truths of life from the wisdom of Arthur Schopenhauer will add value to your life.
Arthur Schopenhauer was one of the greatest philosophers of all time. He lived from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century in Germany. His most important work was “The World As Will and Representation”. He was one of the most prominent figures of the philosophy of pessimism and the first great Western philosopher who was interested in Buddhism. The best way to understand his teachings is to analyze them through the eyes of the enlightened pessimism prevalent in Buddhist philosophy. Arthur Schopenhauer is known as the ultimate pessimist because he articulates a pessimistic worldview that questions life’s meaning. He believed that the universe was fundamentally irrational and human beings are driven by a force called the Will, a basic force in the Universe, never satisfied, and we, the human beings, don’t have much self-control to fight it. Schopenhauer argues that the best way to be happy is by ceasing to look for happiness and instead try to remove the unhappiness from our life. This idea reflects philosophical pessimism, which is not a psychological disposition, but rather a worldview. Philosophical pessimism suggests that it is always better to expect the worst in order to receive the best. By using the principles of philosophical pessimism, we can eliminate the irrational hopes and expectations we have in life and thus we can live more peacefully and happily.
So here are 7 dark truths of life from the wisdom of Arthur Schopenhauer -
01. Pleasure is Just the Brief Absence of Pain
02. Growth is Desire in Disguise
03. Love is Nature’s Trick
04. Loneliness Is the Price of True Wisdom
05. Compassion is the Highest Form of Strength
06. Art and Philosophy Are Escapes from the Madness
07. Letting Go Is the Only Escape from Endless Wanting
I hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope these 7 dark truths of life from the wisdom of Arthur Schopenhauer will add value to your life.
Arthur Schopenhauer was one of the greatest philosophers of all time. He lived from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century in Germany. His most important work was “The World As Will and Representation”. He was one of the most prominent figures of the philosophy of pessimism and the first great Western philosopher who was interested in Buddhism. The best way to understand his teachings is to analyze them through the eyes of the enlightened pessimism prevalent in Buddhist philosophy. Arthur Schopenhauer is known as the ultimate pessimist because he articulates a pessimistic worldview that questions life’s meaning. He believed that the universe was fundamentally irrational and human beings are driven by a force called the Will, a basic force in the Universe, never satisfied, and we, the human beings, don’t have much self-control to fight it. Schopenhauer argues that the best way to be happy is by ceasing to look for happiness and instead try to remove the unhappiness from our life. This idea reflects philosophical pessimism, which is not a psychological disposition, but rather a worldview. Philosophical pessimism suggests that it is always better to expect the worst in order to receive the best. By using the principles of philosophical pessimism, we can eliminate the irrational hopes and expectations we have in life and thus we can live more peacefully and happily.