ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Philipp Mainländer

Philipp Mainländer was a man who lived a long time ago and wrote a lot about serious things like life, death, and the meaning of existence. He believed that life was actually kind of sad and that the world would be better off without it.

Imagine you have a toy that you really love to play with. But one day, your mom tells you that you have to give that toy away. You might feel sad, but you also realize that the toy might be happier with someone else who needs it more than you do. Philipp Mainländer believed that life is like that toy.

He thought that life is full of suffering and struggles, and that death is actually a release from all that pain. He believed that existence itself was meaningless and that the universe would be better off if everything just stopped existing.

Now, not everyone agrees with Philipp Mainländer's ideas, and some people might find them really depressing. But it's important to remember that everyone has their own opinions and ideas about life, and it's okay to think differently and to explore different ways of looking at the world.