"In the sphere of thought, absurdity and perversity remain the masters of the world, and their dominion is suspended only for brief periods"

Arthur Schopenhauer’s assertion points to the enduring and pervasive nature of irrationality in human thought. He acknowledges that, despite advances in reason and enlightenment, much of human activity and theorizing remains subject to folly and deliberate distortion. Absurdity, referring to illogical or nonsensical beliefs, and perversity, the stubborn insistence on error or contrariness for its own sake, are described as perennial rulers in the domain of ideas. This suggests that clear thinking and rational discourse are fleeting exceptions rather than the persistent norm.

The world of human thought, from politics to philosophy, from religion to daily social interactions, often witnesses the triumph of the illogical, the contradictory, and the wilfully erroneous. For Schopenhauer, attempts to establish truth, clarity, and coherence constantly encounter the obstacles of misunderstanding, bias, and the human tendency toward self-deception. Such a view does not merely lament ignorance but stresses how deeply embedded irrationality is in the structures of collective consciousness. Whether as superstition, ideological dogmatism, or fashionable but unfounded theories, absurdity and perversity are not merely occasional setbacks but almost default states.

Yet, Schopenhauer allows for exceptions, “brief periods” of suspended dominion, where reason temporarily gains the upper hand. These moments might appear during the bursts of scientific progress, the emergence of philosophical clarity, or rare instances of collective sanity. However, these are framed as rare and unstable oases amid an ever-present desert of confusion and contradiction.

His observation is ultimately a sobering reflection on the cyclical and precarious nature of progress in intellectual life. The passage highlights the necessity for vigilance and humility, for every victory of reason is fragile and must contend with the persistent forces of absurdity that, time and again, resume their rule over the world of human thought.