A Study Of Schopenhauer's Sympathetic Ethics

Schopenhauer established his Sympathetic Ethics as his Voluntarism Ontology and Intuitive Epistemology for theoretical premise, and as compassion,justice and love for the core areas,which resolved the ethical shortcomings of the rational to a certain extent,and broadened the vision of ethics research as well as brought a significant and profound impact on ethical thoughts development for later times. The analysis of human nature,the mechanism of human behavior and psychological is profound, as well as the value and significance of life, the suffering and sorrow of lives, the relief of tragic Life and some problems such as a more direct relationship between human themselves as the theme of ethics in Schopenhauer's Sympathetic ethics. Which are still major issues of people concern and thinking. Schopenhauer link up Sympathetic ethics with intuitive epistemology, especially emphasis on the role of human's objective recognition,intuitional experience and reflection in developmental process of moral, it has usefulness and helpfulness for us to reflect and solve the difficulties of moral education.This thesis is divided into four parts.The first part focuses on the historical background and theoretical sources of Schopenhauer Ethics. Schopenhauer live in an era that capitalist era is gradually begin revealing their shortcomings. War,suffering and anxiety that confusion bring to people and Schopenhauer's withdrawn,hesitate hasten the birth of the tend to the pessimism of Schopenhauer's world outlook and life outlook, it also bring the theme for Schopenhauer that how to make life out of the pain and the struggle between people,what is the Life meaning and value. However,Schopenhauer had to look for another way because rational Ethics have revealed their flaws and crisis at that time. This is the background for Schopenhauer established his Sympathetic Ethics. Schopenhauer once said that his theories have three sources,which are Kant, Plato and ancient Indian Buddhism. In ethics, Schopenhauer inherited Kant's Personality Theory,theory of freedom and inevitably and on the exclusion of happiness and so on. Plato's philosophy,Kant's two worlds and the limitations of rational function are the direct resources of Schopenhauer's philosophy. At the same time, Schopenhauer's Sympathetic Ethics is inheritance and development of modern emotional ethics,Hume, Rousseau and Adam Smith's theory had a major impact on Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer made every effort to learn from East idea , especially to absorb wisdom from Indian Buddhist when he faced with the plight of modern Western philosophy. He explains the world by the means of pessimism and clarifies the meaning and value of life, pain and sorrow, and the relief of life, which obviously from the Buddhist idea. In fact, Schopenhauer's ethics idea is a virtue ethics instead of a standard ethics, which revolt against Rationalism Standard Ethics and Utilitarianism. So the Rational Ethics and the critical of Utilitarianism are starting point of Schopenhauer's Sympathetic Ethics.The second part is the philosophical foundation and theoretical premise of Schopenhauer's Sympathetic Ethics. The Voluntarism Ontology and Intuitive Epistemology as a precondition of Sympathetic Ethics. Schopenhauer recognize human's nature as will instead of sense, and he raise the height of ontology to replace the rational ontology, which is the basic of Schopenhauer's theory. The struggle between the will of object and the will be never satisfied are the root of life pain and emptiness, it also the root of all the immoral behavior. Schopenhauer also consider the freedom-objection that is "will" can't be grasped by sense but intuition, and he constructed his Intuitive Epistemology on the basic that revolt against Kant's epistemology. Schopenhauer believe that there is nothing relation between human moral or immoral and reasonable cognition. Reason can be good or nauseated. Only the intuition of life will be able to eliminate self and non-self's confrontation and to reach grasping self and non-self's metaphysical identity, and take other people's happiness for our behavior motives in the purpose to hasten the birth of moral meaning and value.The third part is the basic structure of Schopenhauer's theory on Sympathy ethics. Schopenhauer elaborates on his ethics of morality, ethics and the purpose of ways to explore from the critical of Kant as the representative of rationalism.The critical of sympathy for Ethics is the starting pointand an important part of his theory on Sympathy ethics. Schopenhauer negate the possibility that the rational as the basis of morality, use sympathy, however, instead of rational as the basis and source of morality by means of rational criticism. Schopenhauer Pointed out that the will is an endless wish will never meet, and there is tendency of egoism inhuman nature which is the cause of pains and wrongdoing undergo. only through the will of the moral intuitive that can be achieved if we want to destroy all of these.Through the intuitive understanding the will of life, opened the screen of Maya, can eliminated the difference between egoism and nonego, so as to eliminat the difference between people and regard others pains as own and hammer at eliminate them, at least not increase the suffering of others, which is sympathetic.Part IV is the evaluation on Schopenhauer's thinking of sympathy ethical. First of all, through the analysis of Schopenhauer's theory of sympathy for the inheritance, of development of Schopenhauer and the critical of Nietzsche on sympathy for the criticism that stated the status of Schopenhauer sympathy for Ethics in the ideological history. This article consider that Schopenhauer have done away with objective recognition and reasonable cognition and link up the morality with the objective recognition, which make an impact on ethnics. Secondly, This was followed by applying the Marxist to analyze and critisize the limitations Schopenhauer's thinking of sympathy ethical. Finally, to clarify its contemporary value.