Critique of Schopenhauer’s views on the unconscious

John Vespasian

Specifically in the works of Carl Rogers, Wilhelm Reich and William James, the twentieth century brought strong criticism of the views on the unconscious presented by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Their definitions of the unconscious are based on the ideas developed by Schopenhauer, but only after having narrowed them down to a point where they are almost unrecognisable. In their own ways, Carl Rogers, Wilhelm Reich and William James emphasise particular aspects of Schopenhauer’s concept of the unconscious. As a result, they have obscured the original concept and deprived it of its ability to explain human action. Let’s first recapitulate what Schopenhauer put forward in his two major books “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1814), and four years later in “The world as will and representation.” According to Schopenhauer, the will (“life force”) drives all living creatures to ensure their survival and reproduction. Even if you adopt countermeasures, you will not succeed in escaping the influence of the will. You can minimise its negative effects, but you cannot shut it down. Schopenhauer defined the will as a blind, irrational force. It is a definition that matches Sigmund Freud’s conception of the unconscious. Although Schopenhauer had employed historical examples and Freud had referred to psychiatric cases, they are speaking about the same phenomenon. Here is a link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/critique-of-schopenhauers-views-on-the-unconscious/