Narziss

At the conclusion of a Schopenhauer & Nietzsche seminar that I completed in the previous spring semester, I wrote a paper titled, ”On the Role of Consciousness in Schopenhauer”.

The essay presents a look into how Schopenhauer conceives of consciousness and its battle with the unconscious.  I then conclude the essay with several objections to Schopenhauer brought up by Nietzsche.  Here is my abstract:

Schopenhauer presents us with a fascinating look into the power of the unconscious.  However, the leading theme in his discussion, as detailed in The World as Will and Representation, is freedom from this unconscious.  Nietzsche, heavily influenced by Schopenhauer, recognizes the great importance of the unconscious mind.  However, he disagrees with Schopenhauer’s evaluation (that freedom from the unconscious is desirable), and he believes that such emancipation is impossible; Nietzsche does not believe consciousness can be severed (or that it can function when severed) from the unconscious drives.  However, before detailing Nietzsche’s criticisms, I spend a great portion of the essay explaining Schopenhauer’s philosophy of consciousness.  

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