Arthur Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher who wrote The World as Will and Representation, arguing against German idealism and rationalism. He posited that the world and objects only exist as perceived by humans, and that will and instincts are aimless striving that lead to suffering. He advocated ascetic behavior (abstinence and denial of urges) and aesthetic contemplation instead. 
==References==
*One of Oscar's pet elephants is named Schopenhauer, debuting in Sesame Street Episode 1962. He reappeared in Episode 2262 (arguing with Fluffy), where the script misspells the name "Chopinhauer," and the video Learning About Letters. Mr. Snuffleupagus also mentions him by name in A Silly Sesame Street Story: The Three Little Pigs.
*Mad Dog paraphrases Schopenahuer in the second season Dog City episode "Much Ado About Mad Dog": "The man who goes up in a balloon does not feel as if he were ascending; he only sees the earth sinking deeper below him." Taken from an essay in Studies in Pessimism (1913), Mad Dog's version substitutes "dog" and "world."
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Category:Historical References