Schopenhauer's Critique Of Modernity

Since the late20th century, the philosophy circle has launched an in-depth research and reconsideration on modernity. The scholars both domestic and overseas have carried on the multi-dimensional elaboration and passionate discussion to its connotation, characteristic, significance and way out. In the history of modern philosophy, Schopenhauer’s philosophy, as a subversion of classical philosophy and the opening of various new philosophical schools of thought in the second half of the19th century, reflects the deep, multi-dimensional reveal and critique of modernity. However, in a long historical period, Schopenhauer’s philosophy did not obtain a fair appraisal, and an incisive interpretation and reflection of modernity in his philosophical system had not been fully excavated.In recent years, many scholars domestic and foreign began to re-examine the precious value of Schopenhauer’s philosophy. In2010, at the initiative of UNESCO, many countries organized a grand academic exchange activities, to commemorate the150anniversary of the death of the philosopher. And some scholars proposed to re-evaluate this great philosopher, furthermore to rewrite the history of Western philosophy. In such an academic context, a comprehensive and systematical reading of the insight of modernity in Schopenhauer’s philosophy has an important significance for deep analysis of Schopenhauer’s philosophy and for a further research of modernity. Schopenhauer’s philosophy is a brand-new philosophy system that is established on the basis of an absorption and inheritance of philosophies of his predecessors, so his understanding of modernity is also demonstrated in the form of a complete system. Based on Schopenhauer’s masterpiece the World as Will and Idea as the main research object, the paper intends to adopt the following three chapters to elaborate Schopenhauer’s critique of modernity.In the first chapter, the socio-historical background of modernity’s generation and its development process are analyzed, the multiple features and complexity of modernity is discussed, the paper’s emphasis on modernity research and the most representative views of modernity in the philosophical sense clarified. Further on, the connotation and influence of the two core concepts of modernity--subjectivity and Rationality, which were formed in the beginning of modernity’s generation, are mainly discussed.The second chapter firstly introduces Schopenhauer’s philosophy of the will, then comes the combing of the main propositions in Schopenhauer’s philosophy such as his ontology, the multiple identities of a person, person relationship with all things, the principle of individualization and the affirmation and negation of the will. The comparative analysis of Schopenhauer’s "Will" and Plato’s "Idea" and Kant’s "thing in itself" is carried on to make clear the intrinsic link between the three. And then the paper analysis that subjectivity and rationality as the two core concepts of the modernity when in promoting the social progress brought about negative effects for different aspects of human life. Through a deep analysis of Schopenhauer’s will philosophy, the paper focus on Schopenhauer’s deconstruction of subjectivity, dissection of rationality and critique on the narrow rationality.In the course of discussing Schopenhauer’s critique attitude towards subjectivity and rationality, a horizontal comparison is made between Schopenhauer’s ideas and theories related in order to present his distinctiveness and profundity in the understanding of modernity. First of all, from the perspective that in Schopenhauer’s philosophy, a person as a phenomenon in the world is a subjectivity, but with respect to will as the essence of the world, only one level of will’s objectification, Schopenhauer’s interpretation on human subjectivity itself reflects criticism to the general sense subjectivity in modernity thoughts. Then, I try to compare "Reason" in Schopenhauer’s philosophy and "Understanding" and "Reason" in Kant’s philosophy, clarifying that the "Reason" that Schopenhauer has criticized is, in fact,"Understanding" in Kant’s philosophy. While his irrational ideas and the ultimate pursuit of the Reason in Kant’s philosophy have different approaches but the same purpose and equal admirableness. Subsequent development to Schopenhauer’s irrationalism, Max Weber put forward the concept of value rationality and instrumental rationality. As a representative of irrationalism, the Frankfurt School’s critique of reason, strictly speaking, is against instrumental rationality.Build up based on the two pillars of subjectivity and rationality, modernity system in its development process gradually manifests mainly in three forms:humanism, utilitarianism and nihilism. The third chapter discusses the different influences of the three concepts to human thought, behavior and living environment. Through a further research of Schopenhauer’s will philosophy, we can see that Schopenhauer’s critique of modernity has brought us useful insights about how to deal with humanism, utilitarianism and nihilism.