Schopenhauer and religion: Translating myth into metaphysics
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies August 31, 2022 Richard Alan Northover 5 citations
Arthur Schopenhauer, a 19th-century atheist Romantic philosopher, reinterpreted religious myths—especially Christian ones—through his metaphysical system, which was based on Kant's distinction between phenomena and noumena. He viewed Roman Catholicism as sharing the pessimism and focus on suffering found in Hinduism and Buddhism, contrasting with the alleged optimism of Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam, excepting the myth of the Fall. The crucified Christ symbolized this pessimism. Schopenhauer's ethic of compassion and asceticism aligned with altruistic world religions. The article applies his panpsychist-like philosophy to shamanistic and animistic religions, arguing that his concept of the noumenon as a universal will to life was itself an explanatory myth, making his system contain a myth at its core. His argument may appeal to those dissatisfied with materialism yet unwilling to accept a supernatural order.