The Basis of Morality

by Arthur Schopenhauer

"The Basis of Morality" by Arthur Schopenhauer is a philosophical essay written in 1839. Schopenhauer challenges traditional ethical systems—including Kant's categorical imperative, religious promises of heavenly reward, and governmental laws—arguing they all rest on selfish egoism. Instead, he proposes that true morality stems from compassion: the immediate participation in another's suffering, where the barrier between self and other dissolves. This controversial work, which critiqued Hegelian philosophy, was rejected by the Royal Danish Society despite being their only submission.