Schopenhauer in 90 Minutes

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Schopenhauer, the "philosopher of pessimism", makes it very plain that he regards the world and our life in it as a bad joke. But if the world is indifferent to our fate, it doesn't thwart us on purpose. The world's facade is supported by what Schopenhauer calls the Universal Will, blind and without purpose. This Will brings on all our misery and suffering; our only hope is to liberate ourselves from its power and from the trappings of individualism and egoism that are at its mercy.

In Schopenhauer in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Schopenhauer's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Schopenhauer's writings, a brief list of suggested readings for those who wish to delve deeper, and chronologies that place Schopenhauer within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.

©1999 Paul Strathern (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Well-written, clear, and informed, they have a breezy wit about them. I find them hard to stop reading." (The New York Times)

In 90 Minutes Series overview

If you could sum up Schopenhauer in 90 Minutes in three words, what would they be?
aka Cliff Notes

Would you recommend Schopenhauer in 90 Minutes to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes - I've listened to each book in the series about a major philosopher that is available on Audible. Strathern's books don't have the analytical depth found in Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy" books, but he does a good job summarizing each philosopher's biography, major philosophical points, and criticisms. Additionally, Strathern's breadth is broader than Durant's in that he covers a greater number of philosophers. I believe that the time spent listening to these books has been well-spent.

My reviews for each book in the series about a philosopher are identical.

What about Robert Whitfield’s performance did you like?
Voice is clear, well-modulated, and easily understood, even at 1 1/2 speed.

Continued process

re-i forces "crisis-theory" as explanation of history and human events, including development of the science of psychoanalysis , forshadowing Sigmund Freuds emergence

witty but superficial

Enjoyable but not exactly illuminating; more about the man than the philosophy. Then again it was 'free' so what was I expecting?

what I wished I'd gotten was 5 min of biography, 10 minutes to situate Schopenhauer in the history of philosophy, 60 min explaining his one big idea then 15 min on how his ideas have reverberated in those that came after. Instead it was 70/5/10/5

Informative

Right to the point! I like it, —— now I can continue learning more…. Thank you!

Quick overview of Schopenhauer

This book helps shed light on Schopenhauer’s life and personality and is a quick overview of his philosophy. This makes me feel a lot of anger toward Schopenhauer as his personality and view of women seem intolerable. I do plan to read books or essays by him to get a feel for his philosophy from his perspective as well.