Arthur Schopenhauer

1788 – 1860 · died at about 72^[1][2]

Philosophy & Thought

Fun Facts About Arthur Schopenhauer

• Arthur Schopenhauer scheduled his Berlin lectures at the same time as those of Hegel, whom he called a "clumsy charlatan." Only five students turned up, and he dropped out of academia.^[1][3][4]
• The great pessimist lived alone in Frankfurt with a succession of pet poodles named Atman and Butz.^[1]
• Schopenhauer once lost an essay prize from the Royal Danish Society of Sciences despite being the only contestant. He was still insulting the Society in a preface 20 years later.^[1]
• In 1813 Goethe invited the young Schopenhauer to help him with his Theory of Colours. Schopenhauer thought color theory a minor matter but accepted out of admiration for Goethe.^[1][5][6]
• Albert Einstein called Schopenhauer a genius and kept his picture on the wall of his Berlin study, next to Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell.^{[1][7][8][9][10]}
• Richard Wagner was one of Schopenhauer's most famous admirers, but the feeling was not mutual: Schopenhauer declared, "I remain faithful to Rossini and Mozart!"^{[1][11][12][13][14]}
• Arthur Schopenhauer was alive at the same time as Benjamin Franklin — their lives overlapped for 2 years (1788–1790).^{[1][2][15][16]}
• Arthur Schopenhauer shares a birthday with George Washington: both were born on February 22.^{[1][2][17][18]}

Arthur Schopenhauer, also known as the “Philosopher of Pessimism”, was a German philosopher and writer. He is known for his 1818 work The World as Will and Representation, which characterizes the phenomenal world as the manifestation of a blind and irrational noumenal will. Building on the transcendental idealism of Immanuel Kant, Schopenhauer developed an atheistic, metaphysical and ethical system that rejected the contemporaneous ideas of German idealism.^[1]

Contemporaries

Jacob Grimm

72 yr overlap

Michael Faraday

69 yr overlap

Charles Babbage

69 yr overlap

Carl Friedrich Gauss

67 yr overlap

Hokusai

61 yr overlap

John Quincy Adams

60 yr overlap

Heinrich Heine

59 yr overlap

Victor Hugo

58 yr overlap

Alexandre Dumas

58 yr overlap

Ralph Waldo Emerson

57 yr overlap

Andrew Jackson

57 yr overlap

George Sand

56 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Arthur Schopenhauer

When was Arthur Schopenhauer born?

Arthur Schopenhauer was born on February 22, 1788, and died on September 21, 1860.

How old was Arthur Schopenhauer at death?

Arthur Schopenhauer was born on February 22, 1788, and died on September 21, 1860, at age 72.

What was Arthur Schopenhauer known for?

Arthur Schopenhauer was known for: German philosopher of pessimism. Arthur Schopenhauer, also known as the “Philosopher of Pessimism”, was a German philosopher and writer. He is known for his 1818 work The World as Will and Representation, which characterizes the phenomenal world as the manifestation of a blind and irrational noumenal will. Building on the transcendental idealism of Immanuel Kant, Schopenhauer developed an atheistic, metaphysical and ethical system that rejected the contemporaneous ideas of German idealism.

Who was alive at the same time as Arthur Schopenhauer?

Arthur Schopenhauer's closest contemporary was Jacob Grimm. Their lives overlapped for 72 years.