Transcending Ideological Hypocrisy: Schopenhauer’s Identity of the Will, Yi Sun-sin’s Ethical Action, and the Possibility of a Non-Dual Political Philosophy

This paper explores the persistent duplicity and moral inconsistency that characterize modern political ideologies by examining the deeper psychological roots of human motivation. Drawing on Arthur Schopenhauer’s diagnosis of the “objectification of the will,” I argue that many political ideals—whether progressive, conservative, or revolutionary—often conceal a fundamental self-interest that operates beneath the surface of public moral rhetoric. Yet Schopenhauer does not merely diagnose the problem; he also gestures toward a possible transcendence through the concept of the identity of the will, most clearly embodied in the universalized experience of compassion. To illuminate this possibility, the paper presents the historical example of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, whose recorded reflections after the Battle of Myeongnyang reveal a rare psychological structure in which the suffering of the people is experienced as indistinguishable from one’s own. This case allows us to ground Schopenhauer’s metaphysical insight in an actual political and ethical practice. Finally, the paper suggests that integrating the Buddhist non-dual perspective—one that dissolves rigid self–other boundaries—provides a complementary philosophical framework for envisioning political action rooted beyond ideological self-interest. Together, these elements offer a proposal for a future political philosophy capable of overcoming the ideological hypocrisy that shapes much of contemporary political life.