Schopenhauer's favorite book was a particular version of the Indian Upanishads. He encountered it just before he found the centerpiece of his philosophical system: his concept of will. Though he named it as the first of three main philosophical influences and kept calling it the most excellent book in the world, 150 years of Schopenhauer research have failed to explain the role of these Latin Upanishads. Based on Schopenhauer's extant copy of the work, his notebooks and many additional sources, Urs App's study (in German) offers a completely new picture of the genesis of Schopenhauer's...

Schopenhauer's favorite book was a particular version of the Indian Upanishads. He encountered it just before he found the centerpiece of his philosophical system: his concept of will. Though he named it as the first of three main philosophical influences and kept calling it the most excellent book in the world, 150 years of Schopenhauer research have failed to explain the role of these Latin Upanishads. Based on Schopenhauer's extant copy of the work, his notebooks and many additional sources, Urs App's study (in German) offers a completely new picture of the genesis of Schopenhauer's...

Schopenhauer was the first major Western philosopher with a deep interest in Asian philosophies and religions. His favorite book was a Latin version of the Indian Upanishads-the Oupnekhat-that he used to call the consolation of his life and death. Urs App explains in this book for the first time why Schopenhauer regarded this work as the most excellent in the world, how it is connected with the birth of his philosophy, and what caused him to list it even ahead of Plato and Kant as his major inspiration. This groundbreaking new introduction to Schopenhauers thought and its genesis explains...