Articles/Essays/Chapters in Books
- Norberg, J. "Schopenhauer on the Injustice of Slavery." Schopenhauer Jahrbuch / Schopenhauer Yearbook 104
(2023): 29-47.
(last updated on 2024/11/25)
Abstract:
This essay reconstructs Schopenhauer’s understanding of slavery – how he defines it, why he considers it unjust, and under which conditions he thinks it is likely to arise. The essay explains how Schopenhauer views slavery both as a moral and political phenomenon – he treats it as a form of injustice (the subjugation of one individual by another) but also as a particular form of rule, which he calls despotism. However, Schopenhauer’s passionate opposition to slavery does not lead him to embrace political egalitarianism. The existence of millions of slaves in a modern republic, the United States before 1861, instead prompted Schopenhauer to speculate that republicanism and despotism might be intertwined rather than opposing tendencies. In Schopenhauer's view, the North American republic seemed strongly committed to individual freedom but was characterized by systematic subjugation and oppression. Ultimately, Schopenhauer came to believe that his moral opposition to slavery and his skeptical rejection of republicanism were mutually supportive.
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