Willing and Unwilling. A Study in the Philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (review)

632 JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY ~7:4 OCTOBER ~989 gel's belief that philosophy always comes too late, with the consequent argument for a revision of the relationship between objective spirit, absolute spirit, and history (42462 ). Whatever positions the individual reader may want to question, it would be absurd to contest the value of H6sle's overarching contribution and impossible, I think, to launch a coherent attack on the overall project of developing a self-reflexive, selfgrounding logic that can also shed light on questions of the real world. The salutations given by Gadamer and P6ggeler in the book's announcement are clearly deserved. A translation would be desirable so that the book can reach beyond the dual communities of German philosophers and Hegel scholars. H6sle's systematic reflections and his bold, yet well-reasoned, insights into issues ranging from the idea of a world-state to the ontology of film deserve the widest possible audience. MARK W. ROCHE Ohio State University Julian Young. Willing and Unwilling. A Study in the Philosophy of Arthur Schopentuzuer. Nijhoff International Philosophy Series, Vol. 33. Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, x987. Pp. xiii + 169. Cloth, DFL loo, $39.5o. Julian Young's book is the most recent study that indicates the continuous AngloSaxon interest in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. Young presents a very clear and well-argued exposition of "the philosophy of pessimism." In fact, the compactness of Young's presentation supports Schopenhauer's claim that his The World a, Will and Representation (WR) actually conveys to the reader one great single idea. 1Just as WR was originally divided into four major books, Young's study is divided into four major parts that parallel Schopenhauer's. Although Young does utilize Schopenhauer's other major works, his analysis concentrates on WR. One may, therefore, consider Young's study as a critical commentary on the central arguments found in WR. The first part of Young's work presents the Kantian legacy, the foundation for Schopenhauer's thought. This Kantian legacy is divided into three sections: (a) Schopenhauer 's acceptance of transcendental idealism, (2) his acceptance of conceptempiricism , and (3) his rejection of transcendent metaphysics. Young's comments on this latter point are quite provocative. Schopenhauer accepts Kant's arguments against the possibility of there being a metaphysics that transcends all possible experience. But Young maintains Schopenhauer believed that there is an experientially grounded metaphysics, a naturalistic one. Young argues that Schopenhauer believed that between phenomena and noumenon there is a third world. Since this third world is not discernible by ordinary cognitive consciousness it may be considered as a metaphysical realm. However, this world is accessible by other states of consciousness such as the aesthetic, the moral, and the mystical. The second part of Young's study bears the same title as Schopenhauer's second Arthur Schopenhauer, The Worldas Will and Representation,vol. l, trans. E. F.J. Payne (New York: Dover, 1969),xii. BOOK REVIEWS 633 book of WR, "The World as Will." In this part Young takes exception to Bryan Magee's view that the world will be understood as interchangable with energy or force.~Young counters by arguing that energy and force are special instances of the world will. Another important issue examined is Schopenhauer's extension of teleology throughout all nature. It may not be too difficult to understand how teleology works at the higher organic levels, but how are we to make sense, without engaging in anthropomorphic metaphors, of teleology applying to all inorganic nature too? Young interprets Schopenhauer as holding the view that throughout all of the realms of nature, will acts with belief and knowledge. But does not Schopenhauer claim that the will is blind, irrational, acts without reason? Young's reply is that the will is blind only in the sense that at the inorganic and lower organic levels it is unconscious of both itself and its beliefs and reasons. Consequently, not only is the will extended throughout nature, but so is intelligence. The will extended throughout nature is the world will of which the'Platonic Ideas are its immediate volitions. This world will, being all that exists, has no other goal than perpetrating its system...