An analysis of Schopenhauer's Philosophy of education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to present Arthur Schopenhauer's educational ideas and analyze these ideas in the context of the learning society in the age of artificial intelligence. The main argument is whether Schopenhauer's educational ideas remain necessary in a world entering the age of algorithms. The research method is a philosophical interpretive analysis based on the primary document "Ueber Erziehung" (On Education) by Arthur Schopenhauer which appears in the collected works titled "Arthur Schopenhauers sämtliche Werke" published in 1920. The findings indicate that according to Schopenhauer true education is not merely a process of information transferred through rote memorization or uncritical acceptance of textbooks, it’s rather a process by which the learners must construct their own thoughts using information merely as raw material rather than a final conclusion. This phenomenon reflects the challenge in the age of artificial intelligence in case of Artificial Intelligence used merely as a tool to provide answers without encouraging learners to think critically. Such kind of education becomes artificial one, and the use of Artificial Intelligence would ultimately reduce humanity to mere consumers of information rather than creators of wisdom. Any educational concepts that fail to promote an understanding of the world and life reality is the root cause of failed education.