ABSTRACT
This chapter reconstructs the tenets of Schopenhauer's political thought and uncovers some of its internal tensions. Scholars have frequently observed that Schopenhauer did not develop much of a political philosophy, but they have rarely recognized that this is a deliberate deflationary strategy. Schopenhauer's aim was to circumscribe the purpose and means of politics narrowly and assign them a particular place in a broader range of legitimate human responses to the agony of existence. According to him, the state had a necessary function – the containment of interpersonal violence and reduction of harm – but it could not edify its subjects or bring about salvation. However, his attempt at a careful differentiation of politics and statehood from religion exhibited contradictions. On the one hand, Schopenhauer favored a strong state able to end the “war of all against all” and he noted that political leadership can frequently rely on religious justifications to secure popular support and ensure stability. On the other hand, he observed that state-affiliated religious institutions often sustain themselves by silencing independent philosophical reflection, a policy that he could not accept. Schopenhauer thus ended up with an ambiguous conception of the state and political leadership as simultaneously protective of life and property and damaging to free inquiry.
