ABSTRACT
Most post-Kantian philosophers accepted Kant's argument that the mere interconnection of abstract thought could not justify the extension of abstract thought to existence. By introducing a different form of knowing, Schopenhauer builds up what is traditionally called a metaphysics. Schopenhauer develops an abstract, philosophical and pessimistic metaphysics that advocates that all of life is, at its core, self-expressive will. According to his own definition, metaphysics is all supposed cognizance that goes beyond the possibility of experience. In the Nietzschean and Heideggerian picture of Platonic-Christian metaphysics, metaphysical projects thrive on an ontologically informed dualism between a chaotic world of the senses and a stable world of intellect. Hegel's philosophy aims to 'overcome' the Kantian dualism, but another philosopher renowned for promoting the idea of 'overcoming' is Nietzsche. Nietzsche's philosophy can be seen as a diagnosis of Western culture and a cure for the disease.
