Schopenhauer: On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason and Other Writings

These translations provide a comprehensive view of Schopenhauer's contribution to epistemology, theory of perception and philosophy of nature.

Arthur Schopenhauer (Author), David E. Cartwright (Edited and translated by), Edward E. Erdmann (Edited and translated by), Christopher Janaway (Edited and translated by)

9780521872713, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 September 2012

558 pages, 8 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.7 x 3.3 cm, 0.93 kg

'This new translation of three of Schopenhauer's essays is of a very high quality and is testament to the customary rigor of the Cambridge Translations. Undoubtedly, this new edition will become in time the standard work of reference for English-speaking scholars worldwide.' Philosophischer Literaturanzeiger

This volume of translations unites three shorter works by Arthur Schopenhauer that expand on themes from his book The World as Will and Representation. In On the Fourfold Root he takes the principle of sufficient reason, which states that nothing is without a reason why it is, and shows how it covers different forms of explanation or ground that previous philosophers have tended to confuse. Schopenhauer regarded this study, which he first wrote as his doctoral dissertation, as an essential preliminary to The World as Will. On Will in Nature examines contemporary scientific findings in search of corroboration of his thesis that processes in nature are all a species of striving towards ends; and On Vision and Colours defends an anti-Newtonian account of colour perception influenced by Goethe's famous colour theory. This is the first English edition to provide extensive editorial notes on the different published versions of these works.

General editor's preface
Editorial notes and references
Introduction
Notes on text and translation
Chronology
Bibliography
Part I. On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason: 1. Introduction
2. Survey of what is most important in previous teachings about the principle of sufficient reason
3. Inadequacy of previous accounts and sketch of a new one
4. On the first class of objects for the subject and the form of the principle of sufficient reason governing in it
5. On the second class of objects for the subject and the form of the principle of sufficient reason governing in it
6. On the third class of objects for the subject and the form of the principle of sufficient reason governing in it
7. On the fourth class of objects for the subject and the form of the principle of sufficient reason governing in it
8. General remarks and results
Variants in different editions
Collation of the two editions
Part II. On Vision and Colours: 9. On vision
10. On colours
Variants in different editions
Part III. On Will in Nature: 11. Introduction
12. Physiology and pathology
13. Comparative anatomy
14. Plant physiology
15. Physical astronomy
16. Linguistics
17. Animal magnetism and magic
18. Sinology
Reference to ethics
Conclusion
Variants in different editions
Glossary of names
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Philosophy [HP], Literature & literary studies [D]