More on Schopenhauer

In the Philosophy course I attend in central London this week we took  a look at Arthur Schopenhauer, named Arthur apparently after careful consideration by his father who felt  it was the sort of name a cosmopolitan businessman could operate with - but Arthur chose a different career.

After the early death of his father in Hamburg in 1805 by what was possibly suicide Arthur  first worked towards a commercial career but in 1809  he began studying at the University of Göttingen, first as a student of medicine and later in the field of  philosophy.
Arthur apparently felt it his mother was the cause of his father's death and the relationship between mother and son was not a good one.
Arthur did not marry although he  was keen on female company and was a man with both temper and energy.
There are more biographical details of the man here.

Now onto his work and ideas:
Arthur was of the view that there was one process with this being made up of two aspects the  'willing' and the physical action.
 Schopenhauer considered that the universe is a rational  place and that the human condition is one of suffering he looked at how we should live and felt  that Art was one of the few temporary releases from continued desire.
Scott the course leader related to us  how we (as humans) were concerned with the shoe that pinched and that life is indeed suffering which when discussed did seem difficult to refute
 Schopenhauer felt that while the sight of a beautiful women  was a figure of desire the artistic work depicting her was somewhat removed from this. One of the great works of  Schopenhauer was concerned with  Aesthetics.
Unusually for the time  Schopenhauer a well traveled man was concerned with animal welfare and believed that England was a place where animals were relatively well treated.
Arthur Schopenhauer continues to cast a impressive shadow over the field of philosophy and his ideas and outlook have been sen as forming something of a link with the relgions/philosophies of the east notably Hinduism and Buddhism.

Spring and feeding the birds.

One for Mary Poppins

I had an hour or so on Plot 202 as I wanted to deploy a bird feeder (as an homage at Arthur?) it was pleasant so see signs of spring there too.

I have also started some Moneymaker Tomatoes indoors at home.