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John Vespasian

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of sixteen books, including “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010), “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012), “Rational living, rational working” (2013), “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief” (2014), “On becoming unbreakable” (2015), “Thriving in difficult times” (2016), “Causality: Aristotle’s life and ideas” (2024), “Foresight: Schopenhauer’s life and ideas” (2024),

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All Episodes

6:06

Michel de Montaigne’s intellectual independence and...

John Vespasian ·

2025/06/03

The powerful connection between intellectual independence and peace of mind is seldom mentioned. I view the former as a prerequisite of the latter. Peace of mind requires a fair, realistic assessment of people and events. In the absence of intellectual independence, such an assessment cannot be performed. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) proved the point beyond doubt. His essays go against the dominant opinions of his time, raise necessary questions, and relentlessly seek the truth. I’m not saying

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7:08

Critique of Schopenhauer’s philosophy of history

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/30

Posterity showed vast disagreements with the philosophy of history put forward by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). His individualist view of society came to be rejected by Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) in the first place. Schopenhauer had argued that the will (“life force”) exerts a large influence on individual and society choices, but not to the extent of obliterating personal liberty; the will can drive you in a certain direction (pleasure, reproduction, etc.) but you decide whether to give in

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7:39

Schopenhauer’s pessimism: what it is and what it’s not

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/30

According to most philosophy books, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was profoundly pessimistic. However, when you look into the details of his life and his works, you will see that the truth goes in the opposite direction. Historians tell us that Schopenhauer was confronted with a series of personal tragedies that rendered him pessimistic, but is this really true? Indeed, his father passed away when Arthur Schopenhauer was just seventeen. That’s an early death by any standards, but not an unheard

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6:49

Exaggeration and reality in Schopenhauer's pessimism

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/30

In history, few authors have been categorized as pessimistic as Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Critics reproach him for his observation that most pleasures fail to provide us long-term fulfilment, but is Schopenhauer’s observation inaccurate? When Schopenhauer said that worldly achievements should be regarded as distractions from long-term failure, was he not simply acknowledging the fact that all humans are mortal? Was he not simply formulating an unpleasant truth? Schopenhauer’s reflections on

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6:12

Problem solving and Michel de Montaigne’s literary...

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/15

In all areas of human endeavour, the advantages of speed should not be underestimated. For builders, it makes a world of difference whether the structure of an edifice can be completed before the winter comes. For growers, it is crucial that all seeds have been planted before the warm season arrives. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) applied the principle of speed to philosophy, problem solving, and writing. He wrote a large number of essays, focusing each one on a particular issue or question that he

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5:29

The rationale for Michel de Montaigne’s literary...

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/15

It is easier to understand someone’s actions if we know his motivation. The same applies to understanding his philosophy and literary style, especially when it incorporates innovations, controversy, or unorthodox features. Historians have written extensively about the literary style of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), but their conclusions are rather unconnected and disorganised. Literary critics point out that Montaigne loved to recount anecdotes, ask rhetorical questions, employ humour and irony,

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6:21

Literary analysis of Michel de Montaigne’s essays

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/15

In his essays, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) pursued a single goal. He just wanted to figure out how to live each day in the best possible manner. The question underlying his works is always the same: What should I do now? Montaigne’s literary output becomes easily comprehensible if we keep in mind its purpose. Otherwise, it seems chaotic and arbitrary, as though the author was waking up each morning in total ignorance of what he had done the day before. I regard literary analysis as a tool, not

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6:04

The role of purpose in the literary analysis of...

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/15

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) embodies the opposite of naivety because his observations revolve around human nature. In every situation, he always wanted to grasp the motivation of the persons involved. Before becoming a writer, Montaigne had practised law for a decade in Bordeaux. He had many times found himself in the middle of family and business conflicts, and had witnessed the best and worst of human nature. We could ask ourselves a hundred times why Montaigne wrote in the first person, used

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6:26

Michel de Montaigne’s literary legacy

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/15

Three words suffice me to summarise the literary legacy of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592): Think for yourself. In each of his essays, he calls for self-reliance, critical thinking, open-mindedness, and personal initiative. Unfortunately, historians have given excessive weight to the stylistic aspects of Montaigne’s work, and overlooked his ideas and attitude. Indeed, Montaigne invented the essay as a literary genre but it represents a small step compared with the dialogues written by Plato (427-347

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5:46

Michel de Montaigne’s literary legacy

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/15

Three words suffice me to summarise the literary legacy of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592): Think for yourself. In each of his essays, he calls for self-reliance, critical thinking, open-mindedness, and personal initiative. Unfortunately, historians have given excessive weight to the stylistic aspects of Montaigne’s work, and overlooked his ideas and attitude. Indeed, Montaigne invented the essay as a literary genre but it represents a small step compared with the dialogues written by Plato (427-347

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6:52

Schopenhauer and freedom

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/13

The idea of freedom in Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) is linked to his philosophy of the will. He outlined his concept of the will in his major works “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1808) and “The world as will and representation” (1818). According to Schopenhauer, the will (which I translate as “life force”) is the underlying force driving all human actions, goals and desires. Schopenhauer defined the will as an insatiable and irrational force that drives human

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6:55

Critique of Schopenhauer’s ideas on freedom

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/13

Despite his sound reasoning and accurate writing, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) didn’t succeed in making his ideas on freedom popular. In particular, his theory of the will wasn’t taken seriously by other philosophers and fell into oblivion at the beginning of the twentieth century. According to Schopenhauer, civilised society should grant legal protection to life, liberty and property. However, laws do not have the power to remove biological limits on freedom. I’m referring to the limits imposed

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5:45

Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/13

The concept of the will (which I translate as “life force” or “primal energy”) plays the key role in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). He argued that a blind, irrational, overwhelming force drives all creatures to reproduce, sustain their own lives, and improves their situation. According to Schopenhauer, the will is exerting relentless pressure on humans, prompting them to pursue objectives that are often impossible to achieve. The inevitable result is failure, setbacks and

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5:57

Impact of Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of...

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/13

The stunning accuracy of the intuitions and insights gained by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) becomes apparent when we compare him with other philosophers. Many have attacked Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence but the attacks have only served to reinforce his positions. You cannot dismiss Schopenhauer by saying that he was too pessimistic or nihilistic. Why not? Because, when you analyse the details, you will see that his observations match reality. For better or for worse, he was

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12:16

Aristotle’s theory of causality

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/13

Aristotle (384-322 BC) is not only the three most influential philosophers in history, but the creator of brand-new mentality. The other two key philosophers, Plato and Kant, cannot claim the same honour. Through keen observation and logic, Aristotle arrived at the conclusion that everything in the natural world has a purpose and a cause. When I say “everything,” I really mean everything tangible or intangible, whether in the past, in the present or in the future. What is Aristotle’s theory of

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12:46

Aristotle’s philosophy of metaphysics

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/13

The first thing to say about Aristotle’s metaphysics is that its very name has become misleading. The original Ancient Greek text is using the term “metaphysics” with the meaning “principles of physics” or “principles of reality.” In Aristotle’s writings, “metaphysics” has nothing to do with the supernatural, the occult, or hidden forces of nature. On the contrary, Aristotle understood metaphysics as a method for the analysis and understanding of reality, a method devoid of any magical elements. I

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8:12

Examples of Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of...

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/01

I’m going to point to several examples to illustrate the views of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the nature of human existence. The examples are drawn from famous literary works depicting challenging situations that put Schopenhauer’s advice to the test. Before starting with the examples, let me summarise in four paragraphs Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence. First, living creatures are driven by the will, which I translate as “life force” or “primal energy;” the will drives them

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6:23

Schopenhauer and Kant, a comparison

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/01

Despite their closeness in time, there are huge differences in intent and content between the ideas of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and those of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Kant aimed at reconciling empiricism and rationalism, but with little success. The only result of his efforts is to decouple philosophy and science from ethics, leaving the area of values to religion, mysticism, and subjectivity. Historians have baptised Kant’s philosophy “transcendental idealism” in order to hide its deep

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6:13

Schopenhauer and the unconscious

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/01

The philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the unconscious has exerted a vast influence on later thinkers such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, or Wilhelm Reich. In his work “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer outlined his philosophy of the unconscious. Schopenhauer defined the will as the blind, irrational drive to survive, reproduce, and seek pleasure at any cost. It’s a force that influences all living creatures, and that can prompt human beings to make

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6:22

Impact of Schopenhauer’s views on the unconscious

John Vespasian ·

2025/05/01

Few historians acknowledge the large influence of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on psychology, but Schopenhauer’s theory of the will (“life force”) as irrational driver of human psychology had set the background for Freud’s concept of a subconscious. Nowadays, it’s widely accepted that wild impulses often prompt us to seek short-term pleasures at the cost of long-term suffering. Carl Jung (1875-1961) was also profoundly influenced by Schopenhauer’s views on the unconscious, but developed them

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