This volume collects 12 essays by various contributors on the subject of the importance and influence of Schopenhauer’s doctoral dissertation (On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason) for both Schopenhauer’s more well-known philosophy and the ongoing discussion of the subject of the principle of sufficient reason. The contributions deal with the historical context of Schopenhauer’s reflections, their relationship to (transcendental) idealism, the insights they hold for Schopenhauer’s views of consciousness and sensation, and how they illuminate Schopenhauer’s theory of action. This is the first full-length, English volume on Schopenhauer’s Fourfold Root and its relevance for Schopenhauer’s philosophy. The thought-provoking essays collected in this volume will undoubtedly enrich the burgeoning field of Schopenhauer-studies.
"Introduction Jonathan Head and Dennis Vanden Auweele Part I: The Historical Context of Fourfold Root 1. Schopenhauer’s Metaphilosophy: How to Think a World Without Reason Sebastian Gardner 2. The Fivefold Rood of the Principle of Sufficient Reason Eric v.d. Luft Part II: (Transcendental) Idealism in and Beyond the Fourfold Root 3. Idealism in Fourfold Root Joanthan Head 4. ""The World Knot"": Schopenhauer’s Early Account of the Subject of Knowing and Willing in the Historic and Systematic Context of German Idealism Günter Zöller 5. Schopenhauer’s Early Fourfold Root and the Ghost of Kantian Freedom Sandra Shapshay 6. ‘A Most Beloved Piece of Nonsense’: The Ontological Argument and Metaphysics Dennis Vanden Auweele Part III: Consciousness and Sensation in Fourfold Root 7. Who Gets the Best of the Winged Cherub?: Reid and Schopenhauer Confront Early Modern Anglicanism Graham McAleer 8. Idea and Concept in Schopenhauer: From the Early Manuscripts to the World as Will and Representation Marco Casucci 9. Schopenhauer on Perception, Consciousness, and Self-awareness Luis de Sousa 10. Beyond the Principle of Sufficient Reason?: Schopenhauer’s Aesthetic Phenomenology Bart Vandenabeele Part IV: Ethics, Motivation and Action 11 The Fourth Root and ‘the Miracle par Excellence’ Gudrun von Tevenar and Christine Lopes 12 Kant’s Theory of Freedom in Fourfold Root as the Progenitor of Schopenhauer’s Metaphysics of Will Robert Wicks"
Jonathan Head is Teaching Fellow at Keele University, UK. He has recently published papers on Kant’s philosophy of religion and various aspects of Schopenhauer’s philosophy. Dennis Vanden Auweele is postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Philosophy, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and assistant professor in philosophy of religion at the Faculty of Theology, RUG (University of Groningen). His publications deal mostly with Kant’s philosophy of religion, Schopenhauer’s philosophy and contemporary philosophy of religion.
