Comparison of Will from the Perspective of Schopenhauer and Rumi

In this study, the differences and similarities between Rumi and Schopenhauer’s views on will have been investigated with a descriptive-interpretive method. Schopenhauer is a philosopher who explicitly accepted fundamentality of will and recognized it as the fundamental human force and the basis of his efforts and activities, including thinking. In his philosophical system, he has used terms such as “the world as representation of will” and “the will to power”, which are considered to be the indicators of his philosophical system. Rumi also defended the human will by stating religious, intellectual, sensory and intuitive evidence and introduced him as a free-willed being. He even deems the endeavor to thank God for His blessings as will. According to him, the lover voluntarily and freely annihilates his will in the will of the beloved. Examining these two accounts of the will can reveal their commonalities and differences, which removes the ambiguities related to this issue and provides the ground for the audience to become more familiar with it