Schopenhauer's theory of colors owes its origin to the personal acquaintance of its creator with Goethe. Although Schopenhauer starts from the findings of Goethe's color theory, he develops a very original conception of colors, based on his own philosophical system.

According to him, colors constitute a phenomenon of physiology, meaning they are generated within the eye and do not exist objectively. A condition for their creation is the qualitative division of the energy of vision, which provides the explanation for many phenomena related to colors.

The philosopher even discovers that this division can be expressed in numerical ratios, thus giving his theory a quantitative dimension. Schopenhauer's color theory presents dual interest: on one hand, philosophical, as it demonstrates the possibilities offered for understanding phenomena by a transcendental approach; on the other hand, scientific, as it highlights the shortcomings of the natural scientific approach in exploring their causes.

Like Goethe, Schopenhauer harshly critiques Newton's color theory. However, he goes even further and interprets what Goethe calls the "primary phenomenon." Thus, those who were captivated by Goethe's color theory will find in Schopenhauer's work the deeper dimension of it.