"Life fluctuates, like a pendulum, from right to left, from suffering to boredom," writes Schopenhauer in 1812. In a Germany where official philosophy (following the path set by Hegel) has become entangled in an optimism that expects everything from science, history, and the state, Schopenhauer introduces a reflection on the futility of the world, the sorrow, and the unhappiness of human existence.