Veil of Māyā:
Reality (Realität) or illusion (Schein) in Schopenhauer?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2026.1.46801Keywords:
Schopenhauer, Veil of Māyā, Reality, IllusionAbstract
Several Schopenhauerian interpreters acknowledge the significant impact of the Upaniṣads on the genesis of Schopenhauer’s philosophy. Janaway, Piclin, Chenet, and Mesquita are some of the researchers who agree with the influence of Indian thought, especially the notion of the Veil of Māyā, in the development of Schopenhauer’s concept of representation. This influence leads to the consideration that Schopenhauer understands representation as an illusion, as proposed by Indian wisdom. However, few question the nature of this illusion and to what extent it would contrast with what can be defined as “reality” (Realität). This article will explore the meaning of the aforementioned notion of the Veil of Māyā and what Schopenhauer understands by Schein, often generically translated into Portuguese as “illusion.” This investigation aims, therefore, to clarify the supposed illusory or real nature of the world as representation, as well as its implications in Schopenhauer’s philosophy.
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