Editing Arthur Schopenhauer (section)

==== Races and religions ====
Schopenhauer attributed civilizational primacy to the northern "white races" due to their sensitivity and creativity (except for the ancient Egyptians and Hindus, whom he saw as equal):

<blockquote>The highest civilization and culture, apart from the [[History of Hinduism|ancient Hindus]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptians]], are found exclusively among the white races; and even with many dark peoples, the ruling caste or race is fairer in colour than the rest and has, therefore, evidently immigrated, for example, the [[Brahmans]], the [[Inca Empire|Incas]], and the rulers of the [[South Sea Islands]]. All this is due to the fact that necessity is the mother of invention because those tribes that emigrated early to the north, and there gradually became white, had to develop all their intellectual powers and invent and perfect all the arts in their struggle with need, want and misery, which in their many forms were brought about by the climate. This they had to do in order to make up for the parsimony of nature and out of it all came their high civilization.<ref>''Parerga and Paralipomena'', Vol. 2, "On Philosophy and Natural Science," §92, trans. Payne (p. 158-159).</ref></blockquote>

Schopenhauer was fervently [[Abolitionism|opposed to slavery]]. Speaking of the treatment of slaves in the [[Slavery in the United States|slave-holding states of the United States]], he condemned "those devils in human form, those bigoted, church-going, strict sabbath-observing scoundrels, especially the Anglican parsons among them" for how they "treat their innocent black brothers who through violence and injustice have fallen into their devil's claws". The slave-holding states of North America, Schopenhauer writes, are a "disgrace to the whole of humanity".<ref>''Parerga and Paralipomena'', Vol. 2, "On Ethics," §114, trans. Payne (p. 212).</ref>

Schopenhauer also maintained a marked metaphysical and political [[anti-Judaism]]. He argued that Christianity constituted a revolt against what he styled the materialistic basis of Judaism, exhibiting an Indian-influenced ethics reflecting the [[Aryan]]-[[Vedas|Vedic]] theme of spiritual self-conquest. He saw this as opposed to the ignorant drive toward earthly utopianism and superficiality of a worldly "Jewish" spirit:

<blockquote>[Judaism] is, therefore, the crudest and poorest of all religions and consists merely in an absurd and revolting [[theism]]. It amounts to this that the [[Kyrios|''κύριος'' ['Lord']]], who has created the world, desires to be worshipped and adored; and so above all he is jealous, is envious of his colleagues, of all the other gods; if sacrifices are made to them he is furious and his Jews have a bad time ... It is most deplorable that this religion has become the basis of the prevailing religion of Europe; for it is a religion without any metaphysical tendency. While all other religions endeavor to explain to the people by symbols the metaphysical significance of life, the religion of the Jews is entirely immanent and furnishes nothing but a mere war-cry in the struggle with other nations.<ref>"Fragments for the History of Philosophy", ''Parerga and Paralipomena'', Volume I, trans. Payne (p. 126).</ref></blockquote>