The Two Fundamental Problems of Ethics

The Two Fundamental Problems of Ethics (1841) united two earlier prize-winning essays that challenge traditional moral philosophy by placing compassion, rather than reason, at the heart of ethical behavior. They explore how genuine moral conduct emerges from the complex interplay between individual character and compassion, offering a revolutionary approach to understanding human motivation and the development of moral behavior. 

• Mindfulness practitioners interested in the relationship between self-knowledge and ethical behavior
• Those interested in the historical roots of empathy in therapeutic practice
• Anyone questioning the relationship between free will and moral responsibility

Arthur Schopenhauer was a 19th-century German philosopher whose major work, The World as Will and Representation, established him as a pivotal figure in post-Kantian philosophy. His pessimistic vision and insights into human nature would later influence thinkers from Nietzsche to Freud, composers like Wagner, and writers including Thomas Mann and Leo Tolstoy. Living primarily in Frankfurt as an independent scholar, he developed a philosophical system that emphasized the role of will and suffering in human experience.