Hitler clearly stated that his favorite philosopher was Arthur Schopenhauer. In a 1944 speech to his generals, he said that while he thought Nietzsche was a genius, Schopenhauer's ideas were clearer. Hitler said he carried Schopenhauer's book, The World as Will and Representation, with him during World War I, reading it many times in the trenches. He said that the philosopher helped him get rid of the idea that reason is more important than desire. Ernst Hanfstaengl said that "Schopenhauer was an important source of inspiration for Hitler's early political ideas." But as Hitler gained more power, Nietzsche's ideas became more popular. Hitler's basic beliefs, especially his view that strong willpower can overcome intelligence and his dislike of democracy, were greatly influenced by Schopenhauer. However, Hitler changed Schopenhauer's pessimistic message about the will to justify aggressive political control.
i don't know how he read the fuckin thing, it is so dense that when i tried to read it in my twenties it made no sense. only in my thirties did parts of it start to make sense to me, and even then i am still not sure i picked up on everything he was putting down.
>>540428665>Arthur SchopenhauerHitler was a midwit?
>>540428830bump
>>540428830Try telling ChatGPT to explain it to you like you're 12.Schopenhauer is basically the same idea as Buddhism: desire creates suffering, and reducing desire reduces suffering. Pretty simple.His "World as Will and Representation" is also pretty much Buddhism. You mistake the world for reality, when it is actually a reflection of your brain's processing.Schopenhauer is Buddhism with extra steps
>>540429371bump.
bumps
"Why did Adolf Hitler claim to admire Arthur Schopenhauer, and how did he interpret or distort Schopenhauer’s philosophy to align with his own ideological goals? Historians and philosophers have debated whether Hitler’s engagement with Schopenhauer was sincere, superficial, or purely opportunistic. Some argue that Hitler selectively appropriated Schopenhauer’s ideas—such as the primacy of the *Will*, the emphasis on struggle (*Kampf*), and elitism—to justify his militarism, anti-Semitism, and rejection of liberal democracy. Others suggest that Hitler’s reading of Schopenhauer was shallow, contradictory, or even misrepresented, given that Schopenhauer’s philosophy was fundamentally apolitical and antithetical to nationalism in many ways. What evidence supports or challenges the idea that Hitler was genuinely influenced by Schopenhauer, and how did he reconcile Schopenhauer’s pessimism and emphasis on compassion with his own glorification of domination and violence?"
bumped
