Arthur Schopenhauer, the great pessimist and lifelong bachelor, had an unexpected soft spot: he loved poodles. The famously gloomy philosopher who declared that “Life is a business that does not cover the costs,” found great joy in this very specific dog breed, and spent as much time as possible in their company.
That’s funny enough, but it gets better.
In the later part of his life, Schopenhauer had a series of poodles, and he named each of them 'Atman.' This choice of name is both hilarious and insightful. In Buddhist and Hindu traditions, Atman refers to the pure, undifferentiated awareness that exists beyond the distinctions imposed by the material world. Its the innermost essence or soul, untouched by the ego and the physical realm—a witness consciousness that remains constant and true.
By naming all his poodles 'Atman,' Schopenhauer pulled off a pretty good philosophical and spiritual inside joke. Since each poodle’s true essence is Atman, there really was no need to name any of them anything other than Atman. Technically, they’re all Atman, right?
As much of a knee-slapper as that was, it was the kids in Schopenhauer’s neighborhood who had the better joke. They called his favorite brown poodle, “Mrs. Schopenhauer”
Sick burn, indeed.
Now, there’s also something unexpectedly endearing about Schopenhauer’s poodle nomenclature system. You see, he was one of the few Western Philosophers to break down the rigid distinction between humans and other animals. He went against the grain of the prevailing thought of his time and considered animals to be possessors of witness consciousness, and as beings enacting and enacted on by Will in much the same way as humans.
For Schopenhauer, his poodles were not just mere living ornaments for his aesthetic enjoyment, but fellow beings trapped in the same cycle of suffering and desire that (he believed) characterizes all life. He maintained that it is imperative that we show compassion towards these fellow creatures that give us companionship and commiseration.
And so Schopenhauer, the great life denying grump of existential thought found quite a few poodle-shaped reasons to find joy in life. That’s pretty heart-warming and vitality inducing (unlike his books) so they make it right onto The Existential List.
Until next time.
Love,
Yepi
Pictured: An actual 19th century drawing of Schopenhauer and one of his poodles by illustrator Wilhelm Busch.
New Yepi Merch here!
That was a great story about Schopenhauer's poodles. I have always shared my life with a dog, different sizes, different names. Very good companions for All the reasons you mentioned. Thnx