The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 2 of 3)Schopenhauer, Arthur
Philosophy
The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 2 of 3)
Schopenhauer, Arthur
Idea (Philosophy); Knowledge, Theory of; Philosophy; Will
“_Ceterum (sapientia) ad beatum statum tendit, illo ducit, __ illo vias
aperit_.”—Id., Ep. 108: “_Illud admoneo auditionem philosophorum,
lectionemque, ad propositum beatæ vitæ trahendum._”
The ethics of the Cynics also adopted this end of the happiest life, as
the Emperor Julian expressly testifies (Orat. vi.): “Της Κυνικης δε
φιλοσοφιας σκοπος μεν εστι και τελος, ὡσπερ δη και πασης φιλοσοφιας, το
ευδαιμονειν; το δε ευδαιμονειν εν τῳ ζῃν κατα φυσιν, αλλα μη προς τας των
πολλων δοξας.” (_Cynicæ philosophiæ ut etiam omnis philosophiæ, scopus et
finis est feliciter vivere: felicitas vitæ autem in eo posita est, ut
secundum naturam vivatur, nec vero secundum opiniones multitudinis._) Only
the Cynics followed quite a peculiar path to this end, a path directly
opposed to the ordinary one—the path of extreme privation. They start from
the insight that the motions of the will which are brought about by the
objects which attract and excite it, and the wearisome, and for the most
part vain, efforts to attain these, or, if they are attained, the fear of
losing them, and finally the loss itself, produce far greater pain than
the want of all these objects ever can. Therefore, in order to attain to
the life that is most free from pain, they chose the path of the extremest
destitution, and fled from all pleasures as snares through which one was
afterwards handed over to pain. But after this they could boldly scorn
happiness and its caprices. This is the _spirit of cynicism_. Seneca
distinctly expresses it in the eighth chapter, “_De Tranquilitate Animi_:”
“_Cogitandum est, quanto levior dolor sit, non habere, quam perdere: et
intelligemus paupertati eo minorem tormentorum, quo minorem damnorum esse
materiam._” Then: “_Tolerabilius est, faciliusque, non acquirere, quam
amittere.... Diogenes effecit, ne quid sibi eripi posset, ... qui se
fortuitis omnibus exuit.... Videtur mihi dixisse; age tuum negotium,
fortuna: nihil apud Diogenem jam tuum est._” The parallel passage to this
last sentence is the quotation of Stobæus (_Ecl._ ii. 7): “Διογενης εφη
νομιζειν ὁραν την Τυχην ενορωσαν αυτον και λεγουσαν; τουτον δ᾽ ου δυναμαι
βαλεειν κυνα λυσσητηρα.” (_Diogenes credere se dixit, videre Fortunam,
ipsum intuentem, ac dicentem: aut hunc non potui tetigisse canem
rabiosum._) The same spirit of cynicism is also shown in the epitaph on
Diogenes, in Suidas, under the word Φιλισκος, and in “Diogenes Laertius,”
vi. 2:
“Γηρασκει μεν χαλκος ὑπο χρονου; αλλα σον ουτι
Κυδος ὁ πας αιων, Διογενης, καθελει;
Μουνος επει βιοτης αυταρκεα δοξαν εδειξας
Θνητοις, και ζωης οιμον ελαφροτατην.”
(_Æra quidem absumit tempus, sed tempore numquam_
_Interitura tua est gloria, Diogenes:_
_Quandoquidem ad vitam miseris mortalibus æquam_
_Monstrata est facilis, te duce, et ampla via._)
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