The philosophy of arthur schopenhauer as projected on modern generations

Abstract

Arthur Schopenhauer is one of the most important philosophers of the 19th century, whose philosophy of pessimism has profoundly influenced global thinking. His ideas shaped perceptions of the nature of will, suffering, and salvation through art and asceticism. The relevance of comparing Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophical ideas with the worldview of the Generation Z lies in an attempt to comprehend the current state of human consciousness through the prism of classical pessimistic philosophy. Schopenhauer, viewing the world as a manifestation of the ‘will to live,’ emphasised suffering as an integral part of existence. For the Generation Z, which is forming in conditions of global crises, instability, information overload and the virtualisation of reality, such ideas take on new meaning. Their worldview is characterised by a sense of anxiety, self-reflection, a desire for authenticity and a search for meaning amid social pressure and digital noise. Referring to Schopenhauer helps to interpret this as a philosophical reaction to the extreme experience of modernity, where pessimism turns into a form of intellectual resistance. Thus, comparing these two perspectives allows us to better understand the psychological and cultural attitudes of today's youth and raises the question of the limits of human happiness in the postmodern world.