Education, the study and assimilation of established bodies of knowledge, is central to learning to live well. We can benefit from what others have done and learned by studying their thinking, experiences, ideas, and intellectual contributions. This happens in school but also in self-directed learning. Education gives us knowledge separate from experiential knowledge gained by living and engaging with the world. This knowledge is separate too from the insights we create based on experience, analysis, and synthesis.

Education fits into a process. Through study, I access the intellectual inheritance bequeathed by past generations. That provides a foundation and framework for my experience. I take what I learn from studying and combine it with my experience, thinking, and creativity to build a value system and way of living. It is an iterative, lifelong process of learning from others, learning from our own experiences, and doing the demanding work of integrating that into rules for living. Through that process we gain wisdom.

A liberal arts education is a good and time-tested place to start. Humans have been concerned with living well for thousands of years. Literature, culture, history, academic research, and traditions have captured much of what people have learned. There are subjects and bodies of knowledge widely recognized as valuable preparation for living a fulfilling life.

A liberal arts education does not provide everything we need. Being educated does not make one wise. We need to apply our experience, reflection, creativity, and synthesis. And formal schooling is just the beginning. A commitment to continually learning from others is necessary to avoid stagnation, correct errors, and benefit from discoveries.

What I Missed in School

I attended good schools and graduated from a respected state university. I am thankful for that and consider myself well-educated. In time, however, I discovered significant education gaps. I was underprepared in important ways for work and life. My formal education could have been better. Why did this happen? Could I have done things differently?

The responsibility for some of my educational gaps is mine. While I studied hard and got good grades, I did not seek the hardest courses. I wanted learning to be fun, interesting, and exciting. I avoided philosophy and history. Too hard, too dull. I wanted courses that seemed relevant and current — ecology, sociology, urban planning, and the history of film. My course selection was often driven by what looked interesting rather than what would prepare me for life’s challenges.

Those were my mistakes. I could have studied more of the subjects I now value. The courses were there, but I did not take them.

There was also a changing educational perspective that deemphasized the traditional liberal arts core. Schools relaxed graduation and major requirements. Courses on socially current topics became more common along with ideological influences. I got caught up in that trend. In retrospect, I wish I had taken a more balanced course of study.

Missing, too, was the wise guidance on a course of study. I was on my own to figure it out. I would have benefited from advice on what subjects would help me live a richer life and become a better person and citizen. Better guidance on job preparation would have helped too. It might have meant studying topics that were hard and even boring. But they would have given me valuable knowledge I could draw on throughout life.

The Responsibility to Educate Ourselves

There are limits to what someone can learn in school, especially at an early age. Some subjects I studied but failed to grasp the deeper lessons. There are books I read in school that I did not understand until re-reading them later in life. I found some knowledge to be additive. A person may not understand or even recognize a new idea if they lack a basic knowledge base. Sometimes I lacked that base or was simply too inexperienced in life to understand.

While a formal basic education is highly desirable, that cannot be the end. It is necessary to commit to a lifetime of learning through study, reading, classes, discussion, and other means. I had to take responsibility for filling knowledge gaps and staying current as scientists make discoveries. I gained most of my core knowledge after my last college class.

It is common to hear that wise people read extensively. They set aside time to read and study. This commitment adds to our knowledge. Continuing study often reminds us of what we once knew but forgot. Reading and studying help me focus on what is important when I begin to stray and get distracted. Regular reading is one of my most valuable habits.

My Educational Core

What I Needed from My Education

My educational core has a purpose. I want knowledge that will help me make better decisions, developing a value framework, understanding people, including myself, and understanding the social and cultural context within which I live. The subjects I have focused on form a conceptual framework for interpreting and organizing what I learned in the process of living. High school and college gave me a decent start with many of these topics. But I learned much through study outside of school.

Learning to Think and Make Wise Decisions

We exercise will and agency through decisions. Thriving rests on many important judgments and decisions, such as adopting the values to live by, determining what is true, deciding what is good, choosing friends and life partners, and pursuing work and productive activities. These judgments should rest on a thorough knowledge base gained by studying value systems, ethics, logic, and critical thinking.

Few question that developing critical thinking skills is a necessary life skill. My critical thinking skills were undeveloped when I entered the adult world. While I had decent analytical and basic reasoning skills, I accepted much as true without critical examination.

With experience and practice, I got better at critiquing issues, examining evidence, and applying reason and logic. Reading widely, exposing myself to all sides, and constructively engaging with those who see the world differently helped this process. Sometimes it takes courage to ask the uncomfortable questions that often lead to the truth. Finding the logical flaws in my thinking opened me up to ideas better supported by the facts.

Learning to Understand People and Societies

Life involves continuous interaction with people and society. I learned I must understand people and cultures for my interactions to be effective and beneficial. Disciplines such as literature, history, and science all contain insights into the motivation and behavior of people and the origin and function of culture.

We are a social species and cannot live on our own. Our well-being and happiness are partly dependent on the health and well-being of others, and we have a role in supporting theirs. Understanding human nature and behavior, combined with an understanding of how societies function, is key to our successfully fulfilling our role in the community.

Understanding How the World Works

Much practical knowledge about how the physical and social world works is hard to gain from experience. This knowledge comes partly from science and partly from the study of how people organize and apply themselves to getting work done, meeting basic needs, and creating value. There is valuable knowledge here; we do not have to reinvent it.

It is good to envision the world as we would like it to be. But we must live in the world that is. We must understand physical realities, social and political institutions, and the basic principles that guide how ideas and intentions move to actions and outcomes. I seek to learn what is necessary to avoid a life limited to dreams and instead make tangible contributions to my community.

The Essential Subjects

Philosophy

Philosophy seemed distant, esoteric, and disconnected from life when I was young. It was not fun to study, and I did not see the point. I learned some rudiments of philosophy in high school, such as reading Plato’s Republic. The existentialist philosophers (Sartre, Camus) caught my attention in college when that was fashionable. There were interesting ideas, but my understanding was superficial. I could not connect them with my daily life and problems.

The light bulb came on later. Instead of being irrelevant, I saw that philosophy, especially moral philosophy, is about how to live. It was exciting to discover others who had thought deeply about the fundamental challenge of living a good life. Most of the important decisions I have had to make involved basic values. Others had useful insights and knowledge to help with those decisions.

Once my eyes were open, I got serious about philosophy as an antidote to gut feeling or popular advice. I have found the classical philosophers on ethics and moral philosophy most useful. Understanding the foundations of the primary schools of philosophy is a great aid to developing one’s own approach to life.

The great religions contain valuable philosophical knowledge. A large part of religion is about guiding people to live well. I have been less rigorous and thorough in my studies here. But what I have examined has provided insight and direction. For example, others have noted that Christianity and Stoicism share some important themes.

Political Philosophy

Closely related to moral philosophy is political philosophy. Politics concerns how people interact, cooperate, and govern themselves. The philosophers writing on these topics explore human nature, questions of good and evil, and the best systems for helping humans thrive.

Here too, the classics are a good foundation. There is a rich body of writing underlying the political systems in our world today, from liberal democracy to communism. It is essential to study these systems deeply enough to critique the popular phrases and slogans voiced by politicians and their supporters.

Economics

Economics is an essential body of knowledge focused on how humans work together to meet their physical needs. It addresses issues such as scarcity, allocation of resources, choice, and trade-offs. Economics is important because it connects with politics. Many economic decisions, particularly at the macro level, are also political decisions.

The economic system of our hunter-gatherer forebears was simple. The modern global economy is far from simple, and it is difficult to understand. My formal economics education had less depth and balance than I needed for making good life decisions. I soon found that economic events were often inconsistent with expert predictions. Contradictory explanations for economic conditions seem common.

In economics, where there is a wide range of opinion, my educational goal is to know enough to increase the chances of making good decisions. Economic understanding affects personal financial decisions such as buying a house or investing for retirement. Economic knowledge also affects our community and political engagement. As my economic knowledge increased, I felt able to make better political decisions because I could better evaluate economic policies, promises, and political slogans.

Thoughtful and diverse reading is my primary means of educating myself on economic issues. Books and articles on business and economics from many, sometimes conflicting, perspectives have transformed my thinking. It is a practical example of how diversity of perspectives helps us get closer to the truth.

Economics has improved my understanding of human nature and behavior. I realize now that human behavior is central to economics. The field’s use of mathematics, models, and data can seem detached from daily life. But learning how and why people make economic decisions is a significant part of economics.

Literature

From an early age, I have loved reading. The Weekly Reader’s arrival in the mail and the frequent trips to the library were highlights of my summers. I enjoyed the stories, characters, and worlds I could explore through literature.

My recollection of my early reading was that it was fun. It was entertaining. I am sure I learned something and picked up useful facts. But some of the deeper meanings in books did not make it into my consciousness.

In high school and college, I began seeing how literature might be important for examining and understanding life. I read works by Hesse, Hemingway, Homer, Kerouac, Kesey, and others. Some of these works took me beyond the characters and plot and made me think more about life, purpose, and the broader human experience. Yet, my connection with literature still lacked depth.

Finally, well into middle age, I began reading literature for its insights into human nature, morality, good and evil, and for ideas I could use. Maturity was the key factor in the change. I needed enough experience to recognize and understand the deeper lessons in the stories I read. I made new discoveries re-reading books first read in school. My experience reinforces the idea that formal education can take you only so far. But when combined with experience and reflection, it can change how you live.

Time changed my fiction reading habits. The classics are now prominent; books that have been valued for decades or centuries. I favor books with proven value for people in various times and circumstances. They are worth reading because the stories, lessons, and characters reveal the depth and complexity of life and provide insights into how to live better. I still enjoy fiction simply for fun, but I always make time for books that could change how I live.

History and Culture

History and culture, like philosophy, seemed dull and irrelevant when I was young. Part of the problem was a lack of inspired teaching and a focus on memorizing dates and events. The bigger problem was the missing connection between understanding history and culture and what was happening today. I did not understand why history unfolded the way it did and how history can help explain today’s world.

Over time, the connection between history and my life became clearer. Studying culture and history helped me understand people and societies. I learned one needs more than the basics to understand current events, trends, and forces. The world made more sense once I understood better how and why we got here.

For thousands of years, people have faced similar problems. There have been countless individual and collective experiments in living. Trial and error. Success and failure. The results, captured in a society’s culture and written history, provide a head start on understanding the world today and pursuing progress. Past success does not make something right for today. But it is a valuable perspective to consider.

My history education began in school, where I acquired a basic understanding of how we got from the nomadic tribes of prehistory to today. But I quickly discovered that I had seen only the tip of the iceberg of human history. The knowledge I wanted required much more study that I had to undertake on my own.

History became a preferred reading genre. It ranged from the standards (e.g., Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) to many excellent recent books covering a wide range of historical topics. Historical fiction is also part of my history reading list. With these novels, important history comes to life, yielding new perspectives on human experience and historical events.

An experiential component is important to my study of history. Experiences allow a physical connection that deepens one’s understanding of events, time periods, and the people involved.

An example was visiting Chartres Cathedral as a teenager. Experiencing a Gothic cathedral changed my perspective and perception of people in the Middle Ages. There is the simple awe that space inspires. But then one can gain an appreciation of the engineering, social commitment, religious faith, artistic expression, and hard work necessary to create the cathedral more than eight hundred years ago. It became so much more for me than a beautiful old building. It became a window into human nature and experience.

I have had many similar experiences that have strengthened the connection between the past and the present. Experiences such as stepping onto a whaling ship in Nantucket, visiting historical museums, and visiting the ruins at Mesa Verde and Ephesus have added a learning dimension that goes beyond the facts. Visual experience, combined with facts and imagination, makes the past almost tangible.

I approach learning about history and culture together because there is so much overlap. History is more about timelines, events, and their connections. Culture is more about beliefs, customs, and human relationships. But often I cannot separate the two. Both are important to understanding our past and its implications for living.

A deep understanding of how we got to where we are, and why, is essential for individual thriving. It is especially relevant for guiding participation in society in ways that further thriving for all. That understanding is a long way from memorizing that the Normans invaded England in 1066.

Science

Science may seem tangential to the knowledge relevant to a happy life. That is not my experience. I have always enjoyed science. Its biggest benefit for me is understanding the process of science – the scientific method. The scientific method is one of the most consequential intellectual advances in human history. Its framework is central to critical thinking. Studying science and its methods builds an understanding and appreciation of evidence, hypothesis formulation and testing, causation, and uncertainty. It gives us insight into what knowledge and truth are. These are important ideas that can affect how we think about the world and our life in it.

Another major influence on my thinking has been the scientific advances in psychology, neurology, evolutionary biology, and evolutionary psychology. These fields seek to understand and explain human nature and behavior. Understanding people is a key educational objective. Advances in these fields changed my understanding of human behavior and informed my evolving view on morality, good, and evil. For example, I have learned to accept the evolutionary roots of human nature, which affected my understanding of politics, culture, and society.

Mathematics and sciences such as physics and chemistry help describe and explain physical reality. This knowledge has helped me avoid believing that magic and hope will solve my problems. An understanding of cosmology helped me place my life and accomplishments in the broadest perspective. Other fields of science have helped shape my thinking on fate, chance, and free will, all key components of learning to live a good life.

Formal education can provide much of this knowledge. But ongoing education is particularly critical here. Science develops rapidly. Keeping up with the important additions to scientific knowledge helps us avoid working with assumptions that are no longer valid.

However, we must keep science in its proper place. Science describes and explains how the world is. That is its purpose. It does not tell us how things should be. Questions about what should be belong to the philosophical and spiritual realm where we must make decisions about what future we want.

Conclusion

Liberal arts education has been a lifelong pursuit. Formal schooling left many knowledge gaps and misconceptions. I continue working to capture the intellectual inheritance created by those who came before me and by others who are creating knowledge daily.

I learned that education is not synonymous with wisdom. Gaining wisdom involves combining education with experience, creativity, reflection, and reason. It is a daily process in which I learn from others, engage with the world, consider what happens, and thoughtfully refine my rules for living. A liberal arts education is not something completed early in life but is part of the continuing work of living well.