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May 2, 2007

schopenhauer on learning

Students and learned men of every kind and every age go as a rule are in search of information, not insight. They make it a point of honor to have information about everything: it does not occur to them that information is merely a means towards insight and possesses a little or no value in itself. When I see how much these well-informed people know, I sometimes say to myself: Oh, how little such a one must have had to think about, since he has had so much time for reading.

When you see the many and manifold institutions for teaching and learning and the great crowd of pupils and masters which throngs them you might think the human race was much occupied with wisdom and insight. But here too appearance is deceptive. The latter teach to earn money, and strive not for wisdom but for the appearance of it and to be credited with it; the former learn, not to achieve knowledge and insight, but so as to be able to chatter about them and give themselves airs.


Schopenhauer

Posted by amin at May 2, 2007 5:55 PM