The Basis of Morality (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

A fearless takedown of conventional ethics, and a bold proposal for a metaphysical basis of morality that rethinks right and wrong.

In The Basis of Morality, Schopenhauer probes the foundations of ethical thinking. He challenges the marriage of morality to Kant’s Categorical Imperative and traces how moral ideas fit with human nature, conscience, and freedom. This edition distills a controversial argument: true ethics must reach beyond rules to the heart of beings and how they relate to one another.

The work contrasts two human types—egoists and altruists—exploring why people act justly and how wealth, property, and social norms shape moral action. It asks whether genuine virtue can exist without egoistic motives and examines compassion as a profound, metaphysical insight into our shared being.

• A focused critique of Kantian ethics and the links between metaphysics and morality.


• A careful look at conscience, freedom, and how we decide what is right.


• Discussion of ownership, property, and how social order influences ethical behavior.


• Metaphysical arguments about compassion and the idea that true ethics may lie beyond self-interest.

Ideal for readers of philosophy who seek a rigorous, sometimes provocative, examination of what underpins moral life.

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