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For someone with no formal instruction in philosophy this is a very good book to begin with. Schopenhauer avoids the use of pretensious "philosophical" jargon and writes in a predominantly literary fashion. The main value in this book is its ideas. Its basic premis is simple, yet the range of topics that Schopenhauer delivers treatises on is quite astounding - art, gambling, contract theory, sexual love and ascetic renunciation, to mention but a few. Only a man of his genius could have found a thread to link these diverse topics together. One does, however, sense at times that he distorts his philospophical beliefs in order to express his revulsion about his least favourite types of human activity.I found the discussions on art the most insightful and rewarding. The book is a good dissection of the blind striving and willing of our world and has the potential to alter the way you view the nature of things.

WWI is a pure joy to read. Scopenhauer tackles metaphysical questions with clarity, wit, and style. His insights are both profound and illuminating, but patience is needed. Several readings may be necessary to fully grasp his ideas, but it is worth the extra effort. Schopenhauer is the rare thinker who can change the way you see the world. While it is not necessary to have read Plato, Hume or Kant before reading WWI, I would at the very least, read some secondary literature on those thinkers before starting a journey with Schopenhauer. The Everyman version is a great introduction to WWI. It cuts the fat but leaves the substance of the ideas intact. Prepare to meet pure genius!