SCHOPENHAUER: How To Be Happy - Fame and the Need for Being Liked (pt. 4)

WATCH:

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
01:24 Become Immune to Flattery
02:29 Fight Your Need for Being Liked
03:30 Fame
05:32 Conclusion
06:30 A Warning

Schopenhauer considers it foolish and stupid to base your self-worth and your happiness on the opinion of others. But at the same time, he realizes how enjoying flattery and hating insult, is a core part of our nature.

Therefore, if it’s happiness we’re after, we should try our best to temper this flaw in our nature.

How do we do this? By becoming more certain of our own abilities and qualities. In other words, by becoming more confident. When you’re sure of yourself, other people can’t throw you off balance; either by praise or by insult.

Self-confidence is the key to building a solid foundation of happiness.

“Otherwise, a man is the slave of what other people are pleased to think…”

This is a life-long effort we’re talking about. Perhaps it’s even impossible to completely eliminate the need for being liked – but the journey is still worthwhile. We must fight against this part of our human nature.

It's also in this chapter we can read about Schopenhauer’s analysis of honor culture. We might do a separate video on this if there’s enough interest, but for the purposes of this series, this would take us too far from the question at hand, which is, how to be happy? Honor culture as Schopenhauer critiques it in this chapter, doesn’t really exist anymore. In the century and a half since this work was written, the knightly ideal of protecting your honor, and challenging someone to a duel, has been lost. Still, if you want to see us tackle this subject, please leave a comment telling us. With enough interest, we’ll do a video on it.

The next section, then, deals with fame. Schopenhauer distinguishes two ways to become famous: through actions or through works. You might guess he prefers the second method. While actions are soon forgotten, unless they are immortalized by history, works stay alive.

Fame is not something to be chased at all costs. Rather, fame should come on its own by the production of great works of art, or by the doing of great deeds. Works which deserve to become famous must be ahead of their time. In other words, they will most likely not be received well in their own time. Fame is a slow process that adds up over time.

But Schopenhauer is the first to admit that all humans, in some capacity, desire fame.

And fame itself will not make you happy. We are back to developing your talents and intellect, because not the fame itself will bring you happiness, but those capacities that allowed you to become famous in the first place.

[aleksandertwardowski]

my most anticipated series on YouTube right now

[mateuszliese]

Great video. I completely agree with his idea that fame and youth are too much for a mortal at one and the same time. Just look at all of the child stars of Hollywood who mostly all lived sad and wretched lives after their fame evaporated. Great insight by Schopenhauer.

[dlloydy]

Thank you for explaining these teachings in understandable, modern language. A video/series on honour would be gratefully received.

[gazrater]

Excellent I wish had read this in my formative years. Great content presented in a great way. Thank you so much.

[Air]

Your commentary on these works has proved an invaluable asset! I would definitely be grateful for any commentary you can provide concerning his works and thoughts on honor seeing as this is a subject which has in many respects been a difficult one to entangle in my own life, having hailed from a reformed theological background while now entering into a Continental Philosophical inquiry into giants such as Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.

[TheVienreich]

This is by far the best channel I found for an overview of great works. Thank you!

[iftehazyeasir]

your videos are great...idk why u arent 100k already..u r so underrated, i really love your content

[annibhardwaj]

Yes I would like a series on knights and honor codes for ancient warriors.

[satnamo]

Health
Youth+
Freedom=3 greatest blessings of life because life is no joke,

But because of fame and fortune
People tend to chase after the ends
And forget about the root.

Returning to das source is returning to tranquility because there is no happiness higher than rest.

Break das flower—tipped arrows of Mara and death will never touch me again.

Painful is birth.
Painful is death.
Painful is birth and death over and over again.

There is no pain like this body.
He who truly knows this is near unto nirvana—
That blessed state of heavenly calm obtained by expiation.

[frankchilds]

Thanks as always for what you offer us! I am hoping you will make a video on Honor. It is an issue of bygone times, yet I feel it could prove most relevant to our age where Honor seems in short supply. I know Asian people still value Honor 🎖and saving face. Please help open up a view point here if you can! 🙏

[spennny]

Without sounding funny your so if I brought classics improbably wouldn't be able to understand them....

[Over-Boy]

I think it is very evolutionary based.
Back in pre history times, getting praise from the group meant survival.

[sebastienh]

Very interesting. But at the core of this is an emotion that we can’t completely eradicate in us - because we are a social animal, we need some approval from other humans to be really happy - just like wolves or other social animals. If only, to feel safe. Only awakened ermits maybe don’t need that anymore ☺️
But naturally when we talk « fame » we talk of an exaggerated need.

[jeffreykalb]

For someone who claimed to know how to have a happy life, Schopenhauer was quite a bitter man.

[Asgardinho]

developing your intellect and talent is fine, but the video/philosophy misses the importance of applying it and getting feedback to improve it, and fame(at least the initial) and criticism are important to achieve that. It also misses the point on why develop your intellect and talent in the first place.

[stevemorse]

Schopenhauer old boy needs to inform his face if he claims to know anything about happiness ;)