Arthur Schopenhauer's central philosophical achievement was his account of the self and its relation to the world of objects. Embracing epistemological, metaphysical, psychological, and physiological concerns, his dynamic system of thought reveals in a unique way the serious philosophical conflicts that can arise when we think about the self. This book is the first full-length study of this theme, and Christopher Janaway's approach to it is historical, yet at the same time has a clear philosophical emphasis. He explores in unusual depth Schopenhauer's often ambivalent relation to Kant, seeing him as a pertinent critic, especially on the issues of idealism and free will. He shows that, while accepting transcendental idealism and the notion of a pure knowing 'I', Schopenhauer was always concerned to establish a rival view of the self as willing: primarily active, embodied, organic, and manifesting pre-rational ends and drives. In the final part of the book Janaway highlights the influence of Schopenhauer.

Contents

Introduction
1:The Development of Schopenhauer's Philosophy
2:Kantian Objects
3:Kantian Subjects
4:Subject and Object in Schopenhauer
5:Idealism
6:Materialism
7:Knowing the Thing in Itself
8:Willing and Acting
9:Determinism and Responsibility
10:The Primacy of Will
11:Freedom from Will
12:Self and World
13:Remarks on Wittgenstein and Nietzsche
14:Conclusions
Bibliography; Index