Schopenhauer On Education Reading Answers

 Schopenhauer On Education

Schopenhauer says in his essay of education that ideas are formed only after the observations. For him, Observation is deserved for being in the first place. He contrasts two types of individuals: An individual who has his own experience and an individual who learned and heard from others. He praises former types of individuals because whatever ideas he gained comes from his own experience. So, he can use the ideas correctly. On the contrary, latter types of individuals' ideas are not derived from their own experience so there is a possibility that they will apply those ideas wrongly. 

He criticized teachers by stating that teachers are stuffing the ideas to the young mind rather than developing their acuity and discernment. He emphasizes that the principal point in education is, “one’s knowledge of the world begins at the right end”, this should be the aim of education. Teachers should encourage students to observe their surroundings and to form ideas based on that. One must take care of childrens to not use words which they don't know the clear meaning of. Learning words is not going to be useful. One needs to understand the words. One’s Observation precedes one’s idea, this should not be the reverse. 

About Memory, he said that it should be greatly exercised from an early age. We should carefully consider what needs to be retained. There are ideas which last long. It is essential to select the important and significant ideas to keep it in memory. This selection should be made by the masters in every branch of knowledge. Almost and always one’s maturity of knowledge is the work of one’s experience alone. 

Questions 1-5

Choose the correct letter, a, b, c or d.

1. Idea are formed after the

1. Practice
2. Observation
3. Exercise
4. Sleep

2. Schopenhauer praised the individual who

1. Gain ideas from his own experience
2. Learn from the books
3. Hearing from the Masters of Knowledge
4. Live without knowledge

3. Teachers should not

1. Let the students to observe their surroundings
2. Stuff their minds with other ideas
3. Let them to play in the open fields
4. Let them to eat food

4. Childrens should not  be allowed to use the words which

1. Have a bad meaning
2. They don’t know the clear meaning of.
3. Have no meaning
4. Is foreign to them

5. Who should select the knowledge that should be retained by the childrens?

1. High School Teachers
2. Business People
3. Masters of every branch of knowledge
4. Parents

1. b. Observation

Explanation: Paragraph 1 - Schopenhauer says in his essay of education that ideas are formed only after the observations. For him, Observation is deserved for being in the first place

2. a. Gain ideas from his own experience

Explanation: Paragraph 1 -  He contrasts two types of individuals: An individual who has his own experience and an individual who learned and heard from others. He praises former types of individuals because whatever ideas he gained comes from his own experience. 

3. b. Stuff their minds with other ideas

Explanation: Paragraph 2 - He criticized teachers by stating that teachers are stuffing the ideas to the young mind rather than developing their acuity and discernment.

4. b. They don’t know the clear meaning of

Explanation: Paragraph 2 -  One must take care of childrens to not use words which they don't know the clear meaning of.

5. c. Masters of every branch of knowledge

Explanation: Paragraph 3 - It is essential to select the important and significant ideas to keep it in memory. This selection should be made by the masters in every branch of knowledge.