The World as Will and Idea (Everyman's Library) [Abridged] [Paperback]

Arthur Schopenhauer (Author), David Berman (Editor), Jill Berman (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1995

The World as Will and Idea (1819) holds that all nature, including man, is the expression of an insatiable will to life; that the truest understanding of the world comes through art, and the only lasting good through ascetic renunciation. Unique in western philosophy for his affinity with Eastern thought, Schopenhauer influenced philosophers, writers, and composers including Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Wagner, Tolstoy, Thomas Mann, and Samuel Beckett.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Everyman Paperbacks; Abridged edition (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0460875051
• ISBN-13: 978-0460875059
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the futility of willing, May 22, 2000

By 

john cahir - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World as Will and Idea (Everyman's Library) (Paperback)

For someone with no formal instruction in philosophy this is a very good book to begin with. Schopenhauer avoids the use of pretensious "philosophical" jargon and writes in a predominantly literary fashion.

The main value in this book is its ideas. Its basic premis is simple, yet the range of topics that Schopenhauer delivers treatises on is quite astounding - art, gambling, contract theory, sexual love and ascetic renunciation, to mention but a few. Only a man of his genius could have found a thread to link these diverse topics together. One does, however, sense at times that he distorts his philospophical beliefs in order to express his revulsion about his least favourite types of human activity.

I found the discussions on art the most insightful and rewarding. The book is a good dissection of the blind striving and willing of our world and has the potential to alter the way you view the nature of things.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Schopenhauer's great work abridged, September 30, 2005

By 

Dr. Robert H. Woog (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World as Will and Idea (Everyman's Library) (Paperback)

This is a really excellent and readable version of Schopenhauer's seminal work. Any abridgements are very judiciously made, so that none of the essential ideas are left out. The introduction is excellent, and the translation very coherent and easy to follow. It is one of the most engrossing of philosphical primary texts, much easier to understand than Kant, and the presentation and translation are excellent. Anyone with an interest in philosophy, especially in the period of 19th Century philosophy from Kant to Nietzche, will find it indispensable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Buddha of Frankfurt", April 29, 2008

By 

Jomo K "Educator" (DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World as Will and Idea (Everyman's Library) (Paperback)

Truth be told, I came to Schopenhauer's work reluctantly, having been put off by Nietzsche, who - despite an early infatuation with Schopenhauer - later turned against his "mentor" (of sorts) claiming his work lacked any ethical applicability.

Yet, as an avid reader of Buddhist and Western philosophical texts, I found myself repeatedly drawn towards Schopenhauer through various resources. So after putting my prejudices aside, I went to the text itself, and I have to say, I consumed this volume with great enthusiasm: I find Schopenhauer to be one of the clearest, most articulate philosophers in the Western tradition (not unlike a Zen master). His work is, in a word, genius.

OK, sure, the "Buddha of Frankfurt" (his nickname) was no saint, but then again, who is? If you ask me, Schopenhauer's thinking is not to be "followed" as such, but rather, "understood," as I find his quiet reserve inspirational and his attempts at personal fulfillment through ART to be wise and sagely advice.

Personally, I found that The World as Will and Idea reminded me of Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene. We are, it seems, reproduction machines. (I also think the fledgling terms Id and Ego might be brought into play as well.)

Finally, I must concur with Schopenhauer's university philosophy professor, G.E. Schulze, who told the young thinker to stick with ONLY Plato and Kant. But to that small list I would now add one more name: Arthur Schopenhauer, as he brilliantly merges the thought of Plato and Kant to form a truly original philosophy - and he does so in a much clearer way than, say, Hegel or any other German Idealist might have. That said, I think it is helpful to have read some Plato and Kant before dipping into this text, as I found - and perhaps this is a petty gripe, I dunno - that the introduction by Dave Berman was, unlike Schopenhauer's fine prose itself, dull, unhelpful and, ultimately, uninspiring.

I highly recommend this text for both beginners and experts in the field -it is THAT good...and it just might change your whole perspective, if not your way of life. Amazing!