What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Freedom of the Will’

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Updated 17 January 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘On the Freedom of the Will’

  • Schopenhauer distinguishes between different types of freedom, including physical, intellectual and moral

Author: Arthur Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer’s “On the Freedom of the Will” is a landmark philosophical work that explores one of humanity’s most debated questions: Do we have free will?

Published in 1839 as part of a prize competition held by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences, this essay won first prize for the author and remains one of his most influential works.

In it, Schopenhauer rigorously examines the concept of free will, combining insights from metaphysics, psychology and science.

He argues for a deterministic view of human action, asserting that while humans may feel free in their decisions, their choices are ultimately determined by external circumstances and internal motivations beyond their control.

Schopenhauer distinguishes between different types of freedom, including physical, intellectual and moral.

While he concedes that humans have physical freedom (freedom from external coercion), he rejects the notion of metaphysical freedom — the idea individuals can act independently of causality.

One of the essay’s key contributions is Schopenhauer’s clear articulation of the relationship between will and action. He asserts that our actions are a direct expression of our unchanging character, which itself is shaped by factors outside our control.

This perspective challenges traditional notions of moral responsibility, as it questions whether individuals can be truly “free” in a moral sense.

The essay also explores the implications of determinism for ethics and human behavior.

Schopenhauer’s arguments are deeply rooted in his broader philosophical system, particularly his concept of the “will” as the driving force behind all existence.

He blends philosophical reasoning with practical examples, making his work both intellectually rigorous and accessible to readers.

Schopenhauer’s writing style is notable for its clarity and precision, though it carries his characteristic pessimism and sharp critiques of opposing views. His dismissal of metaphysical freedom as an illusion is provocative and has sparked debate among philosophers for centuries.

“On the Freedom of the Will” is a profound, thought-provoking work that challenges readers to reconsider their assumptions about free will, causality and moral responsibility.

Schopenhauer’s arguments remain relevant today, influencing contemporary discussions in philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology.

 


What We Are Reading Today: The Power to Destroy

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Updated 16 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: The Power to Destroy

Author: Michael J. Graetz

The postwar US enjoyed large, widely distributed economic rewards — and most Americans accepted that taxes were a reasonable price to pay for living in a society of shared prosperity.
In 1978 California enacted Proposition 13, a property tax cap that Ronald Reagan hailed as a “second American Revolution,” setting off an antitax, antigovernment wave that has transformed American politics and economic policy.
In The Power to Destroy, Michael Graetz tells the story of the antitax movement and how it holds America hostage — undermining the nation’s ability to meet basic needs and fix critical problems.

 


What We Are Reading Today: Habitats of Africa

Updated 15 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Habitats of Africa

Authors: Ken Behrens, Keith Barnes & Iain Campbell

With breathtaking wildlife and stunningly beautiful locales, Africa is a premier destination for birders, conservationists, ecotourists, and ecologists. 

This compact, easy-to-use guide provides an unparalleled treatment of the continent’s wonderfully diverse habitats. 

Incisive and up-to-date descriptions cover the unique features of each habitat, from geology and climate to soil and hydrology, and require no scientific background. Knowing the surrounding environment is essential to getting the most out of your travel experiences.


What We Are Reading Today: An Untraceable Life

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Updated 14 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: An Untraceable Life

Author: Stephen J. Campbell

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) never signed a painting, and none of his supposed self-portraits can be securely ascribed to his hand. He revealed next to nothing about his life in his extensive writings, yet countless pages have been written about him that assign him an identity: genius, entrepreneur, celebrity artist, outsider.
Addressing the ethical stakes involved in studying past lives, Stephen J. Campbell shows how this invented Leonardo has invited speculation from figures ranging from art dealers and curators to scholars, scientists, and biographers, many of whom have filled in the gaps of what can be known of Leonardo’s life with claims to decode secrets, reveal mysteries of a vanished past, or discover lost masterpieces of spectacular value.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Snakes of Australia’

Updated 13 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Snakes of Australia’

Authors: Tie Eipper & Scott Eipper

With more than 1,000 photographs, Snakes of Australia illustrates and describes in detail all 240 of the continent’s species and subspecies—from file snakes, pythons, colubrids, and natricids to elapids, marine elapids, homalopsids, and blind snakes. It features introductions to each family, species descriptions, type locations, distribution maps, and quick-identification keys to each family and genera.

It also covers English and scientific names, appearance, range, ecology, disposition, danger level, and IUCN Red List Category.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Bees of the World’ by Laurence Packer

Updated 12 February 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Bees of the World’ by Laurence Packer

When many people think of bees, they are likely to picture the western domesticated honey bee, insects that live in large, socially complex societies inside a hive with a single queen and thousands of workers. 

But this familiar bee is just one of more than 20,000 species of bees—and almost none of the others is anything like it. In “Bees of the World,” Laurence Packer, one of the world’s foremost experts on wild bees, celebrates the amazing diversity of bees—from size and appearance to nests and social organization.