Like most great philosophers, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) considered education as a lifetime activity. Schooling is only the first step, however necessary, and should build at the same time the student’s character, knowledge, and skills. Schopenhauer was very precise in defining the purpose of moral education; the principal purpose is to help students build their self-awareness and self-discipline. Self-awareness enables individuals to perceive the influence of the will (“life force”), identify the risks and assess the costs. Self-discipline allows them to implement the countermeasures to minimise the influence of the will and increase happiness. In his book “The world as will and representation,” (1818), Schopenhauer spoke in favour of developing self-awareness as a prerequisite for other virtues. In order to acquire the virtue of prudence, you must grow aware of the dangers of imprudence. According to Schopenhauer, education should teach people to make good decisions, that is, decisions that avert, minimise, or remedy suffering, or that help increase one’s happiness. In his book “Two fundamental problems in ethics” (1843), Schopenhauer stated that the purpose of ethics is to steer away from suffering, and cultivate tranquillity and inner peace. When it comes to education, the same goals should apply. It does not make sense, argued Schopenhauer, to give priority to rote learning and conformity. Memorisation cannot help you develop self-awareness and self-reliance. The ability to think critically is a prerequisite for averting the negative influence of the will; thus, it’s crucial that students learn to think independently. Schopenhauer did not prescribe a precise school curriculum, but gave guidelines about how to educate oneself. He regarded education as a lifetime process, not as a predetermined path. The more we learn, he remarked, the more we discover how much we still do not know. Self-awareness grows when students (or readers) open their field of vision as a result of their learning. People become self-aware when they start to look critically at themselves and their own actions. The wider your field of vision, the deeper your awareness. Solitude is another prerequisite for becoming self-aware. I am talking about the regular solitude periods (a few hours each day) that are necessary for reading complex texts and grasping their content. Schopenhauer considered the study of a limited number of well-selected books more beneficial than wide, indiscriminate reading of hundreds of volumes. The size of your library does not determine the size of your wisdom because reading becomes useful (“wisdom”) only after having integrated the ideas and data into coherent principles. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauer-and-the-philosophy-of-education/