This book analyses the deep historical and theoretical roots of self-directed learning models in order to put forward a new conceptual understanding of Self-Directed Learning.

It utilises philosophical methods to present arguments, both historical and contemporary, in favor of shifting education toward self-directed models and away from a view of education that places teachers, administration, curriculum, and standards at the center of the learning endeavor. This book demonstrates that Self-Directed Learning has proven to be effective in numerous contexts and builds on this history to present a new philosophy of education termed 'Eudemonic Self-Directed Learning', for individual and societal flourishing.

Exploring exemplars from different cultural and historical settings to inform post-pandemic pedagogies and policies, this book will appeal to scholars and researchers of the history and philosophy of education, with interests in self-directed learning and its potential for contemporary practice.