A Review of Schopenhauer's On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason

I recently finished Schopenhauer's dissertation called "On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason" over the Memorial Day weekend. The work is what Schopenhauer calls his "introductory work" in the World as Will and Representation. This brief, 150 page, dissertation outlines what Schopenhauer calls the "Principle of Sufficient Reason", which deals with causality.

Schopenhauer begins by giving an overview of the "Principle of Sufficient Reason" throughout the course of Western Philosophy, starting with Plato and wokring all the way to Kant. He states that up until Kant, no one else has really, fully, used the "Principle of Sufficient Reason" correctly, and that Kant is the first one to truly recognize it (albeit he has errors in his system, as Schopenhauer contends).

Next Schopenhauer breaks his Principle into 4 parts (hence the "Fourfold Root"). Keep in mind causality is involved in every root, but in different manifestations. The roots are as follows:

1. Schopenhauer spends almost half the book devoted entirely to this root. It deals solely with Emprical Objects.

2. The second root deals with Reason, and therefore the root deals with conceptions and not intuituve representations. This root also deals with Judgments. Schopenhauer breaks this root down into four more parts which it accordingly deals with: Logical Truth, Empirical Truth, Transcendental Truth, and Metalogical Truth.

3. The second root deals with a priori intuitions (space and time) and the two subjects they accrod with (geometry and pure mathematics).

4. Finally, the fourfold root deals with the Will, or volition.

This is an incedibly brief synopsis of the book, but I have given a sufficient outline as to what Schopenhauer does throughout the book. The edition that I have is the 3rd edition which is from Dodo Press. I strongly encourage anyone who wishes to read this work to pick up an edition that is translated by E.F.J Payne, as he is the go-to-translator for Schopenhauer. Also you need to read Kant's Critique before you read this work. Schopenhauer's philosophy is an extension of Kantian thought, so you need to read Kant before tackling this book. Thank you for your time.