Arthur Schopenhauer is an outstanding German irrationalist philosopher, a representative of the philosophy of life, which became a reaction to the rationalism of the Enlightenment. In 1819, Schopenhauer published his main work, “The World as Will and Representation,” in which he sought to substantiate a new and comprehensive teaching opposed to the rationalism of the New Age. Schopenhauer was engaged in commenting and popularizing this work until the end of his life. His teaching combined the ideas and motives of the philosophy of Plato, Kant, and German romanticism. Schopenhauer's ideas are addressed to a holistic understanding of the world, one with human nature. The starting point of his philosophy is the concept of the world as a conscious representation of it. According to the philosopher, the driving force of all phenomena in the Universe is the will to live, which manifests itself in everything that exists. Schopenhauer's ideas became widespread in Europe, his influence on science and culture of the second half of the 19th and 20th centuries is undeniable. The book also includes Schopenhauer's works "Thoughts" and "Aphorisms of Worldly Wisdom", which reveal his ethical views and can serve as a kind of auto-commentary to his main philosophical heritage.