The world has two aspects: idea and will. The world as idea refers to the knowable world, everything presented as an object for a knowing subject. This includes our own bodies, which, from the perspective of knowability, are merely objects subject to the laws of perception, time, and space. The understanding, through its function of uniting space and time in the idea of matter, transforms raw sensation into perception.
However, the world also exists as will, which is distinct from idea. This book asserts that our own bodies, beyond being an idea, are immediately known as our will. Every act of will is identical to a movement of the body; they are not cause and effect but the same phenomenon presented in different ways—immediately as will, and in perception as the body's action. The body is thus the objectification of will, or will made idea.
Key concepts
- World as Idea — The aspect of the world that is knowable, consisting of presented objects for a knowing subject.
- World as Will — The aspect of the world that is not knowable as an object but is immediately known internally.
- Objectivity of Will — The body is the objectification of will, meaning will is made perceptible and knowable through the body.
- Subject — That which knows all things and is known by none; the condition of all phenomena.
- Idea of Perception — The understanding's construction of the world from sensations, extended in space and time.
Popular questions readers ask
- Schopenhauer's "Vorstellung" vs. "idea" translation choice?
- How does Schopenhauer's "Idea" relate to "Principle of Sufficient Reason"?
- What is the "Objectification of the Will" in Book II?
- How are "Platonic Ideas" distinct from "Ideas" in Book I?
- What does Schopenhauer mean by "Denial of the Will to Live"?