Schopenhauer, Love and Compassion
17-18 October 2013, Ghent University, Belgium
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) offers a stunningly original and highly complex account of love. What we call romantic love, Schopenhauer sees as propelled by our sexual drives and interests, which are manifestations of the will-to-life of the human species. The real purpose of romantic love is ultimately biological: to produce and raise children. What we consciously think what is happening to us when we are in love, is illusory and ultimately irrelevant. Yet, although Schopenhauer undermines romantic love, and despite his critique of Christian faith, he also tells us that ‘all love (agape, caritas) is compassion’, and that compassion with all living beings is the very basis of morality. He argues that this kind of selfless love may ultimately lead to redemption and resignation, since it ‘sees through’ the deception of individuality. The goal of this conference is to investigate the relation and tensions between these two distinct types of love (eros and agapè) in Schopenhauer’s philosophy, and discuss its striking complexity and current relevance.
Keynote speakers: Christopher Janaway (University of Southampton), Simon May (King’s College London), and Gudrun von Tevenar (Birkbeck College, University of London).
For programme and registration details, please see the website.
