Schopenhauer was an enthusiastic reader of Immanuel Kant, and it seems likely that his ideas about phenomena and noumena influenced him. In his book The World As Will And Representation in 1818, he takes the idea a step further by arguing that there are not two separate worlds. There is one world, which contains both phenomena and noumenon. What we see as objects are just representations of the Will at play, and what we feel as emotions are just representations of the Representation of others’ wills. The phenomenal and the noumenal are one and the same. Schopenhauer held the view that in order for the noumenon and phenomenon to be different, both must exist in separate time and space – yet time and space are part of the phenomenal world. He concluded that noumena are the acts of will or movement and no causality exists between the phenomenal and noumenal worlds. We can experience our will, but only the representation of other things. So the phenomenal and noumena are not separate worlds. Rather, they are the same thing experienced in two different ways. Our will, but our representation of other things.
Introduction
How do we really define Philosophy? The Greek word φιλοσοφία – Philosophia. Or as the term has been coined by modern Western language – Philosophy. The literal meaning of this word is relatively static. Derived from its Greek origin it comprises two separate words...
