In his dialogue, Schopenhauer considers religion and philosophy as two means of finding truth. The difference, however, is that while philosophy presents the truth as it is, religion attempts to spice it up and sugarcoat it with allegories that make it more appealing to the masses. In this sense, he argues that religion is for the many, while philosophy is for the few. He often attacks Christianity (which is hardly surprising, considering that many intellectuals of his time did the same), yet he admires Buddhism, which arguably makes his position somewhat questionable.Nevertheless, what do Anons think about this? Personally, I think that in this day and age, philosophy has increasingly come to resemble religion. With the rise of thinkfluencers and similar figures, philosophy is often served to the public in much the same way priests present religion to their congregations. Both seek to attract and capture a large audience. This, in my opinion, makes Schopenhauer's distinction rather obsolete in the modern age.
>>25622055that's patently false, I love Schopie but that's a rare L from him. philosophy more or less resembles a consumable product nowadays than something transcendent. That's not to say philosophy is useless, quite the opposite but people don't engage with it wholeheartedly as a way of life and mostly consume it piecemeal. It also lacks the ability to carve civilizations. now I'm aware in the east the distinction is not as great as in the west between philosophy and religion, but almost all of it is used as a means to an end rather taken wholesale, at least in the present.
Ironically I think materialism, and thus preferring philosophy over religion, is less tenable now than it was back in Schopenhauer's time. It was easy to be a materialist in the 19th Century when there wasn't so much data on weird and supernatural stuff freely available. We even know the German Biblical textual scholars now got a ton of stuff wrong. His position is outdated, and not as timeless as the rest of his thought.
Schopenhauer read a german translation of this excerpt and quotes it in his book On the Will in Nature in the Animal Magnetism and Magic chapter:>We may remember that Christ the Lord, upon doing any great or marvellous Cure, put forth the soveraignity of his Will, as when he said to the Leper, I will, be thou clean: And sometimes he put it to those, who, he perceived had Faith in him, saying, What will ye that I should do unto you? And no less was effected for them than they desired the Lord should do for them. These expressions of our Saviour may be a grand Rule for us to follow, and ought well to be regarded by us; for in the Will is the highest Magick, when it is united with the Will of the Highest; when these two Wheels meet in one, they are the swift running Chariot, which nothing can cross or stop, in which the Bridegroom, with his Bride Sophia, ride most triumphantly together over all things, viz. Over Rocks, Mountains and Hills, which are all made a Plain before them, and Seas dryed up. What is able to resist a Will that is united with God’s Will, before which every thing must stoop and bow? which Will, when ever it goes forth, alwayes accomplisheth its Enterprise. Its not a naked Will that wants its Garment of Power, impregnable Almightiness is with it, to pluck up, to plant, to kill, and to make alive; to bind and to loose, to save and destroy [...].>Now from the fore-going Rules, we are taught to drown the many VVills, that have been generated from the mixed Essence of the Soul, and to loose them in the Abyssal-Deep, from whence then may spring the Virgin-Will, that never was in bondage to any thing of degenerate Man, but stands free and clear in Conjunction with Almighty Power [...].>I know nothing more worthy for the single Eye to look into, and contend for, than the Magia of Faith; which was once delivered unto, and exerted by the Saints of former Generations; and why we should give it for lost now, I see no cause, but should be earnest for the reviving of it, and calling it up from the Dead.—Jane Lead, The Revelation of Revelations, 1683Looks to me like the bridge between philosophy and religion.
Both religion and philosophy can be took into both extremes. It's not a unique feature of either of those. You can make 10 seconds tiktoks about the top 10 most deep existentialism references in Rick and Morty, the same way you can make similar slop about Jesus and prayers and the Bible. The stuff theology PhDs talk about are as removed from the common people as imaginable, likewise philosophy in its most sophisticated form is completely incomprehensible to outsiders and only makes sense after decades of study. Theology also is not as static and dogmatic as many assume, it's an alive field of study, and once you get into it, it offers comparable depth as philosophy.
>>25622114Elaborate.
Ahhhh, yes. /lit/... Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Hegel Cockfluffer Central. You morons talk about literally NOTHING else, ever.
>>25623192And I wouldn't want it to be any different!
>>25622114>so much data on weird and supernatural stuff freely availablesuch as?
>>25622114If I haven't seen it, it isn't real to me.
>>25622055>considering that many intellectuals of his time did the sameStopped reading.OP is a retard.
>>25622114>so much data on weird and supernatural stuff freely available. The data in question:
>>25622114>Schopenhauer>materialist
>>25624483kek
>>25622055Guenon also made this point about Western religion. Its split into esoteric and exoteric functions.A religious tradition according to him must fulfill two distinct functions, in order to meet the needs of two different human capacities:1. The esoteric. intellectual/metaphysicalReserved for an intellectual elite who are actually capable of grasping universal + transcendent truths. The philosophy of the religion2. The exoteric. moral/socialThe masses can't understand the philosophy. But they can be guided through dogmas, moral codes, and ritualistic obligations to live in a way that aligns with the truths uncovered by the philosophy.He argues that over time the esoteric function of the church began to degenerate, moving from metaphysics wholly to moralism.And with the secularization of the world, the intellectuals existed outside the church. The state and secular philosophers hijacked the moral/social guidance that once belonged to the church.
