From the Parerga and Paralipomena
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How To Be Happy: • SCHOPENHAUER: How To B...
We are never really in full control over the course of our lives. We like to think we can make plans and stick to them, but the truth is that the direction of our lives is not shaped by rational decisions, nor do we make important choices by way of intellectual arguments.
Schopenhauer identifies two great powers which shape the course of our lives beyond our own volition. They are Luck and Instinct.
Ever the master of metaphor and simile, Schopenhauer likens luck to the wind at sea, with our lives being the voyage of a ship.
All we can do is set a destination for ourselves, and try to steer our boat in the right direction. But we are dependent upon the wind - it can blow us in the right direction and get us to our destination faster. But it can also work against us, and undo years of work and toil in the blink of an eye.
Above all, when we set sail for a far off destination, we embrace uncertainty.
However, luck is not the only force that shapes our life beyond our control. We might like to think that we humans are rational creatures, basing our decisions on careful analysis and deep contemplation. But Schopenhauer was one of the first prominent philosophers to argue this isn’t true.
In the framework set out by Schopenhauer, what we call “instinct” is simply the Will, the most fundamental part of our being, at work. For Schopenhauer, the Will precedes the Intellect, with the Intellect having the subservient role.
Today, we would use the word “rationalization” to denote this phenomenon where we make decisions based on emotion and gut feeling, yet convince ourselves after the fact we have made the decision based on deep rational analysis.
This brings forth the question of just how trustworthy our gut feeling is. Can we always trust it? Or should we defer to the intellect from time to time?
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. Every person needs to figure out for himself in what proportion the subconscious gut feeling can be trusted in favor of the conscious rational decision making process. The wisdom needed to make this call, only comes with experience and age.