@Tfmonkey Schopenhauer pointed out that all of life is suffering. You struggle and strive to get what you want. If you don't get it, you're miserable. If you do get it, you eventually get bored, so you make up a new goal to go on struggling for. In any case you're fucked.
@philosophy That's why I prefer Camus to Schopenhauer. You push that rock up that hill, knowing it will roll back down and nothing will be accomplished, and you enjoy it.
@Tfmonkey I think existentialism, and Nietzche, is just trying to paint lipstick on a pig. Schopenhauer doesn't pull punches. He calls it a pig.
The Pali Buddha is the same: all consciousness is suffering. All of it. But! There's a way out.
@philosophy Ultimately, there is no one true "philosophy" that is good for everyone. Philosophy is the "art of living", but different philosophies might benefit different people.
In the end, you haven't killed yourself, so you're living for something, and whatever that thing is appears to be worth the suffering of existence, so just make the most out of it.
@Tfmonkey I might agree that there's no use getting attached to a philosophy or making it part of one's identity or ego...if that's what you mean.
But at the same time, I think Schopenhauer's entire point is that it's not worth it. You can only delude yourself into thinking there's something that's worth it. He didn't think suicide made a difference either though, as the Will to Life lives on anyways.
I think philosophy goes beyond living too. It can be a search for Truth.
@philosophy truth isn't objective, and whether something is "worth it" is also subjective. That's a value question, and we know from economics and common sense that value is wholly subjective.
It's cool that you like Schopenhauer and don't think it's "worth it" and that any value anyone finds is a delusion. That's YOUR subjective value.
@Tfmonkey Opinions aren't objective, but saying that truth isn't objective is a category error. The entire point of the concept is that it is what it is despite your feelings for it. I agree that a concept like "worth it" is subjective, but not truth.
Saying there is no truth is a self-contradiction. So is saying truth is not objective (because you've just made an objective claim about truth).
@Tfmonkey OK, I'll watch, but I do suspect you're confusing "truth" with "opinions." Philosophy is broader than just ethics, which is where any theory of values or living lies.
Saying there is no truth is clearly a self-contradiction and as of now I reject the proposition, but remain open to further examination. I think Kant may say something more believable: there's no access to noumena, only phenomena.
I'll watch and respond tomorrow. I'm going to do my evening meditation.