Absolute freedom Quote by Otto Weininger
“Mankind occurs as male or female, as something or nothing. Woman has no share in ontological reality, no relation to the thing-in-itself, which, in the deepest interpretation, is the absolute, is God. Man in his highest form, the genius, has such a relation, and for him the absolute is either the conception of the highest worth of existence, in which case he is a philosopher; or it is the wonderful fairyland of dreams, the kingdom of absolute beauty, and then he is an artist.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Sex and Character, Otto Weininger, 1903
Weininger argues that women lack ontological reality, while men can relate to the absolute as philosophers or artists, reflecting a gendered hierarchy of being.
In simple terms: Women are seen as lacking true existence; men can achieve higher purpose.
Key Takeaway
Question the gender hierarchy and seek inclusive metaphysics.
Themes
gender
philosophy
existence
art
science
hierarchy
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
controversial
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- gender studies
- philosophical critique
- artistic inspiration
Key Concepts
ontological reality
absolute
philosopher
artist
genius
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this perspective affect gender equality?
- Can metaphysics be gender-neutral?
A Different Perspective
The view is historically biased and excludes women's agency.
![“As our mother earth is a mere speck in the sunbeam in the illimitable universe, so man himself is but a tiny grain of protoplasm in the perishable framework of organic nature. [This] clearly indicates the true place of man in nature, but it dissipates the prevalent illusion of man's supreme…” quote by Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ee4/ernst-haeckel-20972_arrogance_as-our-mother-earth-is-a-mere-speck-in-t_1972689.jpg)
![“No one suffers so much as he [the genius] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a certain sense, it is certainly only "by suffering" that a man knows. If compassion is not itself clear, abstractly conceivable or visibly symbolic knowledge, it is, at any rate…” quote by Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bec/otto-weininger-11319_acquisition_no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius_20597.jpg)
