The Challenges of German Pessimism: The Reception of Schopenhauer in Transcenentalism and Pragmatism

Abstract

Contrasts ways Schopenhauer was viewed by important Transcendentalists, notably Emerson and Hedge, with assessments by pragmatists, particularly William James. Determines that while the former were concerned with matters of religion as well as aesthetics, the latter read Schopenhauer in the context of a more general spiritual crisis involving the value of life. Claims James favored Schopenhauer’s deliberate confrontation with suffering and evil over shallow views that counseled resignation.