David Bather Woods
Profile
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy. My research focuses on the 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, especially his philosophical pessimism and his moral and political philosophy.
My new book Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist (November 2025) is now available for preorder. Register now for my Philosophy in the Bookshop event at Blackwell's, Oxford (Saturday, December 6, 11am–12pm).
I have taught a wide range of topics in philosophy, including the history of philosophy (esp. Schopenhauer and Nietzsche), philosophy of religion, ethics, aesthetics, and most recently the philosophy of evil.
I have responsibilities for admissions, outreach, and widening participation in the Department of Philosophy. Prospective students and their supporters, teachers, and school leaders are welcome to inquire with me about engaging with our department.
Contact
David dot Bather dot Woods at warwick dot ac dot uk
Office S2.38
Department of Philosophy
Social Sciences Building
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL
Teaching
Current modules (2025/26)
Admin
- Admissions Tutor
- Outreach and Widening Participation Lead
Prizes
Publications
Selected pre-prints are available on my PhilPeople Profile
Books
- Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist (University of Chicago Press, November 2025)
- The Schopenhauerian Mind, co-edited with Timothy Stoll (Routledge, 2023)
Articles
- ‘How Not to Hate Humanity: Schopenhauer’s Response to Misanthropy’ Mind, Forthcoming.
- 'Schopenhauer's Worst of All Possible Worlds' British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Early View.
- 'The Standard Interpretation of Schopenhauer's Compensation Argument for Pessimism: A Non-Standard Variant' European Journal of Philosophy (2022) 30 (3): 961-976.
- ‘Seriously Bored: Schopenhauer on Solitary Confinement’ British Journal for the History of Philosophy (2019) 27 (5): 959-978.
- 'A Note on Schopenhauer’s Misinterpretation of Petrarch' Jahrbuch der Schopenhauer-Gesellschaft (2017): 147–153.
Chapters
- 'Schopenhauer and the Frankfurt School' in The New Cambridge Companion to Schopenhauer, edited by Sandra Shapshay and Colin Marshall (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming)
- 'A Schopenhauerian Solution to Schopenhauerian Politics' in The Schopenhauerian Mind, edited by David Bather Woods and Timothy Stoll (Routledge, 2023)
- ‘Proust and Schopenhauer' in The Proustian Mind, edited by Anna Elsner and Tom Stern (Routledge, 2022)
- 'Schopenhauer's Sexual Ethics' in Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, edited by Patrick Hassan (Routledge, 2021)
- ‘Schopenhauer on the State and Morality’ in The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook, edited by Sandra Shapshay (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
- ‘Großbritannien’ in Schopenhauer-Handbuch, 2nd Ed., edited by Daniel Schubbe and Matthias Koßler (J.B. Metzler Verlag, 2018)
Work in Progress
- 'The Self-Substantiation of Lou Andreas-Salomé: Lebensrückblick as a Retrospective Manifesto for Life' in The Philosophy of Lou Salomé, edited by Kristin Gjesdal, Katharina Kraus, and Hilde Vinje (Routledge, forthcoming)
- 'Schopenhauer on Duties to Ourselves' in The Cambridge Critical Guide to Schopenhauer's The Two Fundamental Problems of Ethics, edited by Stephen Puryear (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming)
Public
- ‘How to think for yourself’ (Psyche)
- 'What Arthur Schopenhauer learned about genius at the asylum'Link opens in a new window (Psyche)
- 'The Promise of Pessimism' (Institute of Art and Ideas)
- 'The semi-satisfied life' (Aeon)
- 'The best books on Arthur Schopenhauer' (Five Books)
- 'Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation' (Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, Teaching and Learning Resources)
Podcast/Radio
- 'Schopenhauer: Living Your Worst Life' (Philosophy Talk)
- 'One is a Whole' (Sideways, BBC Radio 4)
- 'Schopenhauer on Compassion' (Philosophy Bites)
- 'Resilience' (The Forum)
- 'The History of Philosophy: its value and limitations', 'Schopenhauer on Boredom, Loneliness and Compassion', and 'The Philosophy of Evil' (Common Room Philosophy)
