Solace without Salvation: Schopenhauerian Ethics and Hopelessness

This paper examines the resources that Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimistic philosophy, reframed as a “subtractive religion,” provides for ethical life in the Anthropocene. I argue that his metaphysics of suffering offers durable consolation without relying on compensatory goods. Rather than minimizing the climate catastrophe or deferring solutions to the future, his ethics of compassion reveals meaning in alleviating present suffering even without hope for an ultimate resolution. This approach helps us navigate ecological disruptions without guarantees of historical progress or divine intervention. My subtractive framework fosters moral action and emotional resilience in an era when climate impacts exceed our capacity for mitigation and adaptation. It presents a philosophical foundation that neither relies on the instrumental value of nature for human flourishing nor requires the sacralization of the natural world. Instead, it recognizes a shared essence that makes all suffering morally significant.