In Search Of Truth (Updated) genre: He Said, She Said

"But life is short and truth works far and lives long: let us speak truth."
...Arthur Schopenhauer (02/22/1788 - 09/21/1860)

Arthur Schopenhauer was an influential 19th century philosopher with a generally pessimistic leaning. Often accused of being arrogant and aloof, he saw life as essentially evil and futile but was also hopeful that art (aesthetics) and a sympathy for others could offer escape from pain and suffering. He is seen by many as misogynistic although he also said that "women are decidedly more sober in their judgment than (men) are" as well as more sympathetic. He also was one of the first to write about homosexuality as a natural occurence. I find the above quotation timeless and meaningful. I also think its good commentary on the search for truth...we're all searching for it and we often think we speak it...but in fact we often don't. It simply points out that one can never abandon the search for more truth.

UPDATE:

Unbeknownst to me, Schopenhauer was referenced in the recent movie Wedding Crashers. A friend of mine sent me this link. Obviously, the movie is using Schopenhauer's philosophies for comic purposes but if you are interested in some serious discussion of his philosophies, check out the same site here and here for a couple of informative podcasts.

Daniel DiRito | March 5, 2006 | 8:43 AM | link | Comments (0)