Schopenhauer and Adorno on Bodily Suffering: A Comparative Analysis

281 Pages·2014·3.46 MB·English

by  Mathijs Peters

Schopenhauer and Adorno on Bodily Suffering

Schopenhauer and Adorno
on Bodily Suffering
A Comparative Analysis
Mathijs Peters
‘Postwachstumskolleg’, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany
© Mathijs Peters 2014
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First published 2014 by
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ISBN: 978–1–137–41216–4
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peters, Mathijs, 1982–
Schopenhauer and Adorno on bodily suffering : a comparative analysis /
Mathijs Peters, independent scholar, the Netherlands.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–1–137–41216–4
1. Suffering. 2. Pain. 3. Schopenhauer, Arthur, 1788–1860. 4. Adorno,
Theodor W., 1903–1969. I. Title.
B105.S79P48 2014
1289.4—dc23 2014029420
To my parents, Adri and Hanneke
In memory of Mohammed Kader Majid

Contents
Preface x
List of Abbreviations xii
1 Introduction 1
In the Penal Colony 1
Arthur Schopenhauer and Theodor W. Adorno 4
Why a comparative analysis? 8
Critical preliminaries 16
Structure 18
Part I Determinism, Rationality, Embodiment
2 A Paradox of Transcendence and Immanence 23
Introduction 23
The world-as-representation 24
Idealism and naturalism 26
The truth moment of Schopenhauer’s epistemology 3 2
Conclusion 35
3 The World-as-Will 36
Introduction 36
A key to the world 37
Metaphysical extrapolation 41
Critics of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics 43
Compassion and Will 48
Conclusion 51
4 Irrationalism and Pessimism 53
Introduction 53
Ontological irrationalism 55
Epistemological irrationalism 58
Rationality as autonomy 61
Egotism and the state 73
Conclusion 7 7
vii
viii Contents
5 The Whole Is the Wrong 7 9
Introduction 79
The bear’s teeth 81
Instrumental reason 83
Commodification and second nature 8 6
The modern self 89
Coldness and the principium individuationis 9 3
Conclusion 95
6 The Twitching of the Hand 97
Introduction 97
Critical self-reflection 98
The addendum and freedom 101
Conclusion 108
Part II Morality, Salvation, Happiness
7 Neminem Laede – Injure No One 113
Introduction 113
Practical reason and Will 114
Compassion and suffering 117
The normativity of pain 120
Injure no one 126
The weakness of compassion 128
Conclusion 133
8 Being a Good Animal 134
Introduction 134
Life does not live 136
Kant’s practical philosophy 137
Self-critique and the moral addendum 1 39
Pain 146
A new categorical imperative 152
Conclusion 156
9 The Road to Salvation 159
Introduction 159
Eternal peace 160
Schopenhauer’s aesthetic theory 162
Compassion and self-denial 169
The antagonism of the will with itself 173
Three interpretations 178
Conclusion 186
Contents ix
10 Rien Faire Comme une Bête 188
I ntroduction 1 88
T he possibility of metaphysics 190
H appiness and peace 194
A stratum of mute reference to what is beautiful 199
S ocial change 2 07
C onclusion 2 15
11 Conclusion 217
A n animal showing a wound 217
F allibility and hope 219
Notes 222
Bibliography 249
Index 259