Question 1

According to Epicurus, "necessity destroys responsibility, and chance or fortune is inconstant; whereas our own actions are free, and it is to them that praise and blame naturally attach." Do you agree with Epicurus? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Epicurus, "necessity destroys responsibility, and...

Question 2

According to Schopenhauer, "Time is that in which all things pass away; it is merely the form under which the ______________, the thing-in-itself and therefore imperishable, has revealed to it that its efforts are in vain; it is that agent by which at every moment all things in our hands become as nothing, and lose any real value they possess."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer believed that all things in the material world are merely the manifestation of the "will to live," which is the fundamental force of the universe. This will to live is the thing-in-itself, or the underlying reality of all existence, which is imperishable and eternal. Time, on the other hand, is simply the form under which the will to live reveals itself in the world, and it is the agent by which all things are ultimately reduced to nothingness. Therefore, the best choice to fill in the blank is the "will to live" (B).

Question 3

According to Schopenhauer, "The whole foundation on which our existence rests is the _________ ." Furthermore, "It lies, then, in the very nature of our existence to take the form of constant motion, and to offer no possibility of our ever attaining the rest for which we are always striving."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer posits that the present moment is the foundation of our existence, emphasizing the transient nature of life and the perpetual, yet futile, human quest for lasting satisfaction or rest.

Question 4

According to Schopenhauer, "In a world where all is unstable, and nothing can endure, but is swept onwards at once in the hurrying whirlpool of change; where a man, if he is to keep erect at all, must always be advancing and moving, like an acrobat on a rope-in such a world ..."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer is expressing the idea that the instability and constant change in the world make it difficult for anyone to achieve a lasting state of happiness. Therefore, the best choice is D - happiness is inconceivable in such a world. The other options do not accurately reflect Schopenhauer's sentiment in this passage.

Question 5

Schopenhauer says, "On looking a little closer, we find that inorganic matter presents a constant conflict between chemical forces, which eventually annihilates it; and on the other hand, that organic life is impossible without continual change of matter, and cannot exist if it does not receive perpetual help from without. This is the realm of _________________, and its opposite would be an _________________, exposed to no attack from without, and needing nothing to support it."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer is contrasting inorganic matter, which is locked in a constant state of conflict and eventual destruction, with organic life which requires constant change and support from outside forces in order to survive. He describes the ideal opposite of this as an infinite existence, free from attack and self-sustaining. The concepts of moral norms, mere sensation, dialectical egos, and invisible ego are not relevant to this particular passage.

Question 6

Schopenhauer says, "Hence most people, if they glance back when they come to the end of life, will find that all along they have been living ____________: they will be surprised to find that the very thing they disregarded and let slip by unenjoyed, was just the life in the expectation of which they passed all their time."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer is saying that most people will realize at the end of their life that they have been living temporarily, always waiting for something better or more fulfilling to come along. They will be surprised to discover that the life they were hoping for was the one they already had but failed to appreciate.

Question 7

Schopenhauer says, "For all that, it must rouse our sympathy to think how very little the _______, this lord of the world, really gets when it takes the form of an individual; usually only just enough to keep the body together. This is why man is so very miserable."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer's philosophy centers around the idea that the "Will-to-live" is the fundamental force behind all human actions and desires. He argues that this will is an insatiable, irrational force that drives individuals towards temporary and ultimately unsatisfying pleasures. In this quote, Schopenhauer is suggesting that the Will, which he personifies as the "lord of the world," provides very little actual fulfillment to individuals when it manifests as their own personal will. This is why he believes that humans are so inherently miserable.

Question 8

Schopenhauer says, "Life presents itself chiefly as a task-the task, I mean, of subsisting at all. If this is accomplished, life is a burden, and then there comes the second task of doing something with that which has been won-of warding off __________, which, like a bird of prey, hovers over us, ready to fall wherever it sees a life secure from need."

Accepted Answer

The missing word in the quote is "boredom". Schopenhauer sees life as a twofold task: first, to subsist, and second, to combat boredom. He believed that boredom was a ubiquitous problem for humans, and that we must actively seek to fill our lives with meaningful activities in order to stave it off.

Question 9

Schopenhauer says, "that man is a compound of needs and necessities hard to satisfy; and that even when they are satisfied, all he obtains is a state of painlessness, where nothing remains to him but abandonment to boredom. This is direct proof that existence has no real value in itself; for what is boredom but the feeling of the ..."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer argues that even when our needs and necessities are satisfied, we are left with boredom, which is "the feeling of the emptiness of life." This suggests that existence itself has no inherent value.

Question 10

According to Schopenhauer, "Time is that in which all things pass away; it is merely the form under which the will to live, the thing-in-itself and therefore imperishable, has revealed to it that its efforts are in vain; it is that agent by which at every moment all things in our hands become as nothing, and lose any real value they possess."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer believed that time is the form through which the imperishable will to live realizes the futility of its efforts. He argued that time reduces everything to nothing and robs it of its real value.

Question 11

According to Schopenhauer, "The whole foundation on which our existence rests is the present." Furthermore, "It lies, then, in the very nature of our existence to take the form of constant motion, and to offer no possibility of our ever attaining the rest for which we are always striving."

Accepted Answer

According to Schopenhauer, our existence is based on the present and is constantly in motion, leading us to strive for rest that we can never attain.

Question 12

According to Schopenhauer, "In a world where all is unstable, and nothing can endure, but is swept onwards at once in the hurrying whirlpool of change; where a man, if he is to keep erect at all, must always be advancing and moving, like an acrobat on a rope-in such a world God is our only hope."

Accepted Answer

This quote is not attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer's philosophy was largely pessimistic and focused on the will as the underlying force of the world, rather than placing hope in a deity.

Question 13

Schopenhauer says, "On looking a little closer, we find that inorganic matter presents a constant conflict between chemical forces, which eventually annihilates it; and on the other hand, that organic life is impossible without continual change of matter, and cannot exist if it does not receive perpetual help from without. This is the realm of moral norms, and its opposite would be an immoral being, exposed to no attack from without, and needing nothing to support it."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer's quote discusses the nature of inorganic and organic matter, focusing on their inherent conflicts and needs for survival, rather than directly addressing moral norms or the concept of an immoral being.

Question 14

Schopenhauer says, "Hence most people, if they glance back when they come to the end of life, will find that all along they have been living fallaciously: they will be surprised to find that the very thing they disregarded and let slip by unenjoyed, was just the life in the expectation of which they passed all their time."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Schopenhauer says, "Hence most people, if they...

Question 15

Schopenhauer says, "For all that, it must rouse our sympathy to think how very little the Will, this lord of the world, really gets when it takes the form of an individual; usually only just enough to keep the body together. This is why man is so very miserable."

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer believed that the Will, which he viewed as the driving force behind all existence, only provides individuals with enough energy to survive, which he saw as a source of human suffering.

Question 16

Schopenhauer says, "Life presents itself chiefly as a task-the task, I mean, of subsisting at all. If this is accomplished, life is a burden, and then there comes the second task of doing something with that which has been won-of warding off temptation, which, like a bird of prey, hovers over us, ready to fall wherever it sees a life secure from need."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Schopenhauer says, "Life presents itself chiefly as...

Question 17

Schopenhauer says, "that man is a compound of needs and necessities hard to satisfy; and that even when they are satisfied, all he obtains is a state of painlessness, where nothing remains to him but abandonment to boredom. This is direct proof that existence has no real value in itself; for what is boredom but the feeling of the emptiness of life?"

Accepted Answer

Schopenhauer argues that the nature of human desires and the resultant state of boredom after their satisfaction points to existence having no inherent value.

Question 18

Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says, "A man finds himself, to his great astonishment, suddenly existing, after thousands and thousands of years of non-existence: he lives for a little while; and then, again, comes an equally long period when he must exist no more. The heart rebels against this, and feels that it cannot be true."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says,...

Question 19

Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says, "In the first place, no man is ever happy; he spends his entire life striving after something which he thinks will make him happy; he seldom attains his goal, and when he does, it is only to be disappointed; he is mostly shipwrecked in the end, and comes into harbor with masts and rigging gone."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says,...

Question 20

Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says, "Time is that in which all things pass away; it is merely the form under which the will to live, the thing-in-itself and therefore imperishable, has revealed to it that its efforts are in vain; it is that agent by which at every moment all things in our hands become as nothing, and lose any real value they possess."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain what Schopenhauer means when he says,...

Quiz 10: Epicurus in Waking or in Dream

According to Epicurus, "necessity destroys responsibility, and chance or fortune is inconstant; whereas our own actions are free, and it is to them that praise and blame naturally attach." Do you agree with Epicurus? Explain your answer.

According to Schopenhauer, "The whole foundation on which our existence rests is the _________ ." Furthermore, "It lies, then, in the very nature of our existence to take the form of constant motion, and to offer no possibility of our ever attaining the rest for which we are always striving."

According to Schopenhauer, "In a world where all is unstable, and nothing can endure, but is swept onwards at once in the hurrying whirlpool of change; where a man, if he is to keep erect at all, must always be advancing and moving, like an acrobat on a rope-in such a world ..."

Schopenhauer says, "For all that, it must rouse our sympathy to think how very little the _______, this lord of the world, really gets when it takes the form of an individual; usually only just enough to keep the body together. This is why man is so very miserable."

According to Schopenhauer, "The whole foundation on which our existence rests is the present." Furthermore, "It lies, then, in the very nature of our existence to take the form of constant motion, and to offer no possibility of our ever attaining the rest for which we are always striving."

According to Schopenhauer, "In a world where all is unstable, and nothing can endure, but is swept onwards at once in the hurrying whirlpool of change; where a man, if he is to keep erect at all, must always be advancing and moving, like an acrobat on a rope-in such a world God is our only hope."

Schopenhauer says, "For all that, it must rouse our sympathy to think how very little the Will, this lord of the world, really gets when it takes the form of an individual; usually only just enough to keep the body together. This is why man is so very miserable."