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 latest book Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist was selected as one of the Best Philosophy Books of 2026 by Five Books. It is available in Dutch translation and forthcoming in Chinese and Turkish.
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 Link opens in a new window
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
- Winner of a Warwick Award for Personal Tutoring Excellence 2024
- Winner of a Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence 2021
- Commended in the University of Warwick Kindness on Campus Awards 2021
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, 2025)
- The Schopenhauerian Mind, co-edited with Timothy Stoll (Routledge, 2023)
Articles
- ‘How Not to Hate Humanity: Schopenhauer’s Response to Misanthropy’ Mind, 135 (1), 2026: 1–23.
- 'Schopenhauer's Worst of All Possible Worlds' British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 34 (1), 2026: 132–147.
- 'The Standard Interpretation of Schopenhauer's Compensation Argument for Pessimism: A Non-Standard Variant' European Journal of Philosophy, 30 (3), 2022: 961–976.
- ‘Seriously Bored: Schopenhauer on Solitary Confinement’ British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 27 (5), 2019: 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
- 'The universe is made of desire' (IAI)
- ‘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' (IAI)
- '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
- 'Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist' (New Books Network)
- 'Love, compassion and gloom: the contradictions of Arthur Schopenhauer' (The Philosopher's Zone, ABC National)
- The Dissenter Podcast
- Chasing Leviathan Podcast
- Hermitix Podcast
- Seize the Moment Podcast
- '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)
Praise for Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist
"[Bather Woods] has a talent for biographical narrative, and, as advertised, the book provides the life of Schopenhauer in a vivid and moving way, treating thoughtfully the tensions within the Schopenhauer family."
"In his portrayal of this famously prickly, private, and pessimistic man, Woods presents a thinker committed to the daunting vocation of pondering the human situation, and he does so with compassion and an appreciation for the comic."
"Schopenhauer offers no easy remedies to a disease with no final cure, for the living at least, but Bather Woods successfully shows us if your eyes can adjust to his dark vision of the world, there is much to see: his insights into our condition show us a way we can carry on and make the best of it."
"Bather Woods’ book ... is an important one, and we are fortunate that in unfailingly lucid prose, he does such an excellent job of explaining Schopenhauer’s thought to the contemporary reader."
