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according to the degree of consciousness which accom
panies it.
But the two words which have proved most difficult to
translate, have been Vernehmen and Willkuhr.
(e.) Vernehmen means, to distinguish by the sense of
hearing. This word conveys a shade of thought which it
is almost impossible to render in English, because we
have no word by which to distinguish, from mere sen
suous hearing, a sort of hearing which implies more than
hearing and less than comprehension. The French en
tendre comes nearer to it than our hearing, but implies
more comprehension than vernehmen.
(/.) As to Willkuhr (arbitrium, literally will-choice ),
after a great deal of consideration I have chosen (relative)
free-will as the nearest approach to the German sense, or at
any rate, to that in which Schopenhauer uses it. Willkuhr
means in fact what is commonly understood as free-will ;
i.e. will with power of choice, will determined by motives
and unimpeded by outward obstacles : arbitrium as opposed
to voluntas: conscious will as opposed to blind impulse.
This relative free-will however is quite distinct from absolute
free-will (liberum arbitrium indiferentice) in a metaphysical
sense, i.e. will in its self -dependency. When its arbitrary
character is specially emphasized, we call Willkuhr, caprice,
but this is not the usual meaning given to it by Schopenhauer.
Besides the meaning of these German words, I have still
to define the sense in which I have used the term idea in
this translation ; for this word has greatly changed its mean
ing at different times and with different authors, and is even
now apt to confuse and mislead. Schopenhauer has himself
contributed in one way to render its signification less
clear ; since, in spite of his declaration in the
" x
Hoot
"
Fourfold
to the effect, that he never uses the word idea in
1 See p. 113, 34 of the original, and p. 133 of the present translation.