On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, and On the Will in Nature: Two Essays (revised edition)
Schopenhauer · en
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
Italics have been transcribed using _underscores_, bold with =equal
signs=, spaced text with +plus signs+, small capitals as ALL CAPITALS,
and text in superscript is preceded by a ^carat. Inconsistencies in
hyphenation, punctuation, spelling and abbreviations have not been
corrected. A list of other corrections can be found at the end of the
document.
_BOHN'S PHILOSOPHICAL LIBRARY._
TWO ESSAYS
BY
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER.
LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS
PORTUGAL ST. LINCOLN'S INN, W.C.
CAMBRIDGE: DEIGHTON, BELL & CO.
NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO.
BOMBAY: A. H. WHEELER & CO.
ON
THE FOURFOLD ROOT OF THE PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENT REASON
AND
ON THE WILL IN NATURE.
TWO ESSAYS BY
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER.
TRANSLATED BY MME. KARL HILLEBRAND.
_REVISED EDITION._
LONDON
GEORGE BELL AND SONS
1907
CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
In venturing to lay the present translation[1] before the public, I
am aware of the great difficulties of my task, and indeed can hardly
hope to do justice to the Author. In fact, had it not been for the
considerations I am about to state, I might probably never have
published what had originally been undertaken in order to acquire a
clearer comprehension of these essays, rather than with a view to
publicity.
[1] From the fourth edition by Julius Frauenstädt. "Fourfold Root,"
Leipzig, 1875; "Will in Nature," Leipzig, 1878.
The two treatises which form the contents of the present volume have so
much importance for a profound and correct knowledge of Schopenhauer's
philosophy, that it may even be doubted whether the translation of
his chief work, "Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung," can contribute
much towards the appreciation of his system without the help at
least of the "Vierfache Wurzel des Satzes vom zureichenden Grunde."
Schopenhauer himself repeatedly and urgently insists upon a previous
thorough knowledge of Kant's philosophy, as the basis, and of his
own "Fourfold Root," as the key, to his own system, asserting that
knowledge to be the indispensable condition for a right comprehension
of his meaning. So far as I am aware, neither the "Fourfold Root"
nor the "Will in Nature" have as yet found a translator; therefore,
considering the dawning interest which has begun to make itself felt
for Schopenhauer's philosophy in England and in America, and the fact
that no more competent scholar has come forward to do the work, it may
not seem presumptuous to suppose that this version may be acceptable
to those who wish to acquire a more than superficial knowledge of this
remarkable thinker, yet whose acquaintance with German does not permit
them to read his works in the original.