Introduction

I take the concept of wisdom of life entirely in theimmanent sense here, namely that of the art ofliving life as pleasantly and happily as possible,instructions to which might also be calledeudaemonology. Accordingly, they are instructions toa happy existence. This, in turn, could at most bedefined as an existence that, considered purelyobjectively or rather after cool and carefulconsideration (since what matters here is asubjective judgement), would be decidedly preferableto non-existence. It follows from this concept thatwe would be attached to it for its own sake and notmerely from the fear of death, and from this that wewould like to see it last forever. Now, whetherhuman life corresponds to such a concept ofexistence, or is even capable of doing so, is aquestion that my philosophy, as is well known,answers in the negative, whereas eudaemonologypresupposes an affirmative answer. For eudaemonologyis based upon the innate error that I rebuke at thebeginning of ch. 49 of vol. 2 of my chief work.a Inorder to be able to develop such a doctrine, I havehad to abandon completely the higher,metaphysical–ethical standpoint to which myphilosophy proper leads. Consequently, the entirediscussion to be presented here is in a way anaccommodation, namely insofar as it retains theordinary, 334 empirical standpoint and adheres toits error. Hence its value can only be a conditionalone, since even the term eudaemonology itself ismerely a euphemism. – Furthermore, the discussionmakes no claim to completeness, in part because thesubject matter is inexhaustible, in part becauseotherwise I would have to repeat what has alreadybeen said by others.

The only book I can recall that is written with asimilar intent as the present aphorisms is Cardanus’On the Utility ofAdversity, which is well worth readingand with the help of which one can complete what isprovided here.