Reading Schopenhauer: The World as Will and Representation

Hi Folks,

Please join us for a slow and close reading of Arthur Schopenhauer’s magnum opus, The World as Will and Representation.

Schopenhauer is incredibly important as:

• One of the first major Western philosophers to deeply integrate Eastern ideas (after studying the Upanishads and Buddhist thought)
• One of the earliest Western philosophers to build a comprehensive atheistic worldview
• A major critic of Kantian philosophy, reshaping Kant’s “thing-in-itself” into his own concept of the Will
• An outspoken opponent of Hegel, his contemporary and rival professor at the University of Berlin
• The primary philosophical influence on Nietzsche, who regarded Schopenhauer as his great educator

Schopenhauer introduces the Will as the thing-in-itself — the inner reality underlying all appearances. His metaphysics explores how human desire drives suffering, and how we can transcend it through compassion, selflessness, and creative expression, especially through art.

### 📖 Apply to Join

This text is challenging but rewarding. To get the most out of it, you’ll need:

• Some background in Kantian philosophy (especially the principle of sufficient reason, the phenomenal / noumenal divide and Kant's "architectonic"); familiarity with Eastern thought is a plus
• The ability to closely read and interpret complex philosophical arguments
• The communication and social skills to express ideas clearly in discussion

You can apply to join by first RSVP'ing to this event, then filling out the Google Form survey linked on this event's location page — I’ll review responses personally.

### 📚 Reading & Participation

We’ll read this text slowly and carefully, around 20 pages per week for about six months — over the colder months, as Schopenhauer would have wanted! It's not a live reading, so you'll need to spend the hour or so reading in advance of attending, this is a must.
We’ll be reading Volume 1 of his work. I’ll be using the Cambridge edition, and you can find a tentative schedule linked here.
We will also decide a lot of things, also if people can join mid way through, by voting with the existing group.

### 💬 Discussion Format

Our FAQ outlines how we generally run these sessions. Depending on group size, we may adjust — for example, adding breakout groups or rotating discussion leaders. If you’re interested in co-hosting, please reach out — that would be wonderful. Importantly I am not teaching this material, we are co-travelers exploring it together.

### 📬 Contact Us

Have questions or feedback? Reach out via our Meetup message to me.

I’m genuinely excited to read this with you. I’ve read some Schopenhauer before and listened to this work on audiobook, but I believe a real, close read together will be transformative.

Kind Regards,
Ryan