1st Edition

Schopenhauer’s Moral Philosophy

Edited By Patrick Hassan Copyright 2022
    206 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    206 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This volume brings together internationally recognised Schopenhauer scholars to develop new perspectives on his moral philosophy.

    Despite anticipating and engaging with many of the arguments now recognisable in Anglophone moral philosophy, Arthur Schopenhauer has often been overlooked as a potential contributor to contemporary discourse within this domain. Not only was he one of the most important 19th-century critics of Kantian deontology, Schopenhauer also developed a plausible moral system of his own grounded in compassion. While interesting parallels can be drawn between his system and the sentimentalist tradition familiar from the likes of Hume and Hutcheson, Schopenhauer’s idiosyncratic metaphysics provide a unique approach to standard questions in moral psychology, the philosophy of action, axiology, and moral epistemology. The chapters in this book draw out the relevance and influence of Schopenhauer’s ethical program, attempting to demonstrate the as yet untapped wealth of conceptual resources for pressing moral problems. They address a wide range of topics, including: the moral status of animals; the moral permissibility of suicide; the possibility of altruistic action; the nature of virtue and asceticism; how Schopenhauer integrated Western influences with various Indian traditions of moral thinking, and more.

    Schopenhauer’s Moral Philosophy will be of interest to scholars and advanced students interested in Schopenhauer, 19th-century philosophy, and the history of ethics.

    Introduction Patrick Hassan

    1. Schopenhauer’s Rejection of the Moral Ought Stephen Puryear

    2. Schopenhauer’s ‘Titus’ Argument Colin Marshall

    3. The Moral Perception of Inherent Value Sandra Shapshay

    4. Virtue and the Problem of Egoism in Schopenhauer’s Moral Philosophy Patrick Hassan

    5. Schopenhauer, The Philosopher of Vulnerability Gudrun von Tevenar

    6. All Creatures Great and Small: Schopenhauer On the Value of Life and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Mark Migotti

    7. Schopenhauer, Suicide, and Contemporary Pessimism Michael Cholbi

    8. Schopenhauer’s Sexual Ethics David Bather Woods

    9. Schopenhauer’s ‘Indian’ Ethics Christopher Janaway.

    Index

    Biography

    Patrick Hassan is a Lecturer in Philosophy at Cardiff University. He specialises in ethics, 19th-century philosophy, and environmental philosophy. He is the author of a host of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, and in ethics more broadly.

    "With this collection of cutting-edge essays, Schopenhauer moves one step closer to his rightful place among the great moral philosophers of history."Stephen Puryear, North Carolina State University, USA