Arthur Schopenhauer was born on 22 February 1788 in Danzig, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer and Johanna Schopenhauer. His family belonged to wealthy German patrician backgrounds and held republican and cosmopolitan views. After Danzig became part of Prussia in 1793, the family moved to Hamburg. Schopenhauer had one sibling, Adele, born in 1797. In 1797, he was sent to Le Havre to live with a family friend, where he learned French and developed a friendship with Jean Anthime Grégoire de Blésimaire. He began playing the flute around this time.In 1803, Schopenhauer traveled with his parents on a European tour, which included stops in Holland, Britain, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Prussia. His father, Heinrich, drowned in 1805, an event believed by his family to be a suicide. Following this, Schopenhauer inherited a significant sum, which he invested conservatively. He left his merchant apprenticeship to pursue studies at the Ernestine Gymnasium in Gotha, where he had a social life among the local nobility but was eventually expelled after writing a satirical poem about a schoolmaster.Schopenhauer spent two years as a merchant before deciding to pursue an academic career. He moved to Weimar, where his relationship with his mother deteriorated due to their differing temperaments. He then enrolled at the University of Göttingen in 1809, initially studying medicine before switching to philosophy. He attended lectures by notable professors and developed an interest in metaphysics, psychology, and logic. In 1811, he transferred to the University of Berlin, where he attended lectures by Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich Schleiermacher but found himself critical of their ideas.In 1813, Schopenhauer left Berlin due to fears of military conscription and settled in Rudolstadt, where he wrote his dissertation, 'On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason.' After completing his dissertation, he returned to Weimar, where he clashed with his mother over her relationship with a younger man. Schopenhauer's dissertation eventually gained some recognition, particularly from Goethe, who was impressed by his intellect.In 1814, Schopenhauer began writing his major work, 'The World as Will and Representation,' which he completed in 1818. He faced challenges in publishing and promoting his work, which initially received little attention. He traveled to Italy in 1818, where he engaged in philosophical contemplation and socialized with various intellectuals. Upon returning to Dresden, he continued to work on his philosophical ideas and sought an academic position, but his lectures attracted minimal attendance.After leaving academia, Schopenhauer traveled extensively and settled in Frankfurt, where he lived alone with his pet poodles. He published several works, including 'On the Will in Nature' and 'Parerga and Paralipomena,' which gained him a wider readership. His philosophy, characterized by metaphysical voluntarism and pessimism, posited that the essence of reality is a blind, irrational will that drives all existence. He argued that human suffering is inherent to life and that ethical behavior arises from compassion for others.Schopenhauer's ideas drew from various philosophical traditions, including Kantianism and Indian philosophy, particularly the Upanishads and Buddhism. He emphasized the importance of aesthetic experience as a means of transcending individual suffering. His later years saw an increase in recognition, and he became a significant influence on various thinkers and artists, including Nietzsche, Tolstoy, and Wagner. Schopenhauer died on 21 September 1860 in Frankfurt, leaving behind a legacy that would shape philosophical discourse well into the 20th century.