/lit/ - Literature

>>22186933
Loosely familiarize yourself with transcendental idealism (Kant), and then just start with World as Will and Representation Volume 1. He is going to repeat over and over how you HAVE! to know Kant and Plato before reading him, and additionally his other essays are prerequisites in his mind. You can ignore him, just be willing to stop and research when he mentions something you don’t understand like the Principle of Sufficient Reason. He will also tell you to read the Appendix first, I would recommend you do this even if it can be a slog at times, it is a great introduction to Kant and how Schopenhauer differs.

The World as Will and Representation is a long book but it is one of the most rewarding reads you will ever have. I almost dropped to my knees when I read the last line in context of the whole book.

On a final note, his prose is extremely clear and he repeats himself over and over in different ways to make sure you understand because he doesn’t want to confuse or obscure his ideas. If you fail to understand what he said, just keep reading and it will eventually make sense.

In regards to other works, you can tackle Vol. 2 directly after Vol. 1 for more intimate details, and I would only read his Parerga and Paralepomena in context of his metaphysics. You can ignore the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason for the most part, despite Schopenhauer assuming you know it as a prerequisite.

>tfw reading the sacred writings of every religion