Schopenhauer's position on the problem of free will in his 1839 essay

Abstract

This article presents Schopenhauer's conception of the problem of free will in the essay he submitted to the competition organized by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences in 1839. The central problem Schopenhauer addresses there is whether the will is capable of performing free acts or whether, on the contrary, it is subject to an external causality that determines its decisions. Schopenhauer thoroughly examines the arguments in favor of free will, which are especially wielded by popular wisdom. The solution to this problem consists of reducing freedom to an intelligible or transcendental dimension, in which, although character predetermines every human act, the subject is nevertheless able to responsibly assume his or her personal character. Schopenhauer's great contribution to this reflection lies in his conception of the will as the vital force that permeates consciousness. The leading role of the will will have a particular impact on the phenomenological formulation of intentionality and on psychoanalysis. Keywords: Will, freedom, causality, motivation, self-awareness, objective consciousness.