Learning without a teacher
Science informs us that we are creatures who have evolved over a period of billions of years. Our human nature has many traits, all of which are the products of these years of evolution.
I suspect that every trait we have can prove to be both positive and negative to our welfare depending upon our understanding, personality, character and how we nurture those traits. It seems to me that our task is to learn what these traits of nature are and, as much as possible, “to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.
Two characteristic traits of human nature that I would like to dwell upon are our inclination to acquire and to know.
It is easy enough to understand our acquisitive nature, without it we, like the squirrels, would not survive the winter. I find that our desire to know requires a little more effort to comprehend.
The Greek philosopher Socrates admonished his fellows that “the unexamined life is not worth living. I think that he had discovered a very important aspect of our innate desire to know and wished to inform all of his fellows of that insight. For his efforts his fellows decided he was “corrupting the youth and he was required to drink a cup of hemlock.
Aristotle, Plato’s pupil, begins one of his books with “all men by nature desire to know. He went on to express his conclusion that knowledge is an end in itself. He says that not only is knowledge a good in itself but that knowledge is the highest end of human achievement.
I am convinced that virtually every mature adult can learn to understand the meaning of these claims but no individual can be taught to understand their meaning.
I shall repeat my last sentence. I am convinced that virtually every mature adult can learn to understand the meaning of these claims but no individual can be taught to understand their meaning.
What do I mean by such an unseemly statement? I conclude that there is a fundamental difference between being taught something and in being a self-learner of something.
To be taught indicates a relationship between a teacher and a pupil. In such a learning mode the pupil understands that the subject matter is to be learned because the teacher is teaching it. A teacher teaches pupils that which the teacher knows and desires the pupil to know. Only as a self-learner will I seek and find disinterested knowledge.
Understanding the meaning of the words of these two philosophers is a slowly developing reality. The self-learner must assimilate much through self-learning to reach this degree of understanding. I like to use the analogy of creating a work of art using papier-mâché. Not only is the object formed slowly piece by piece but the object is created in every way during the forming process.
When I am doing “self-learning and when I speak so favorable about self-learning I am speaking of disinterested learning i.e. learning only for the sake of knowing. I self-learn so that I might gain knowledge for the sake of knowing and understanding. Self-learning can produce knowledge that is a value in and of it. Self-study for the purpose of accomplishing some task does not qualify as disinterested learning.
It seems to me that our culture has corrupted education to be only a means for acquisition to such an extent that it has totally masked the nature and process of disinterested learning. In our quest for more material things we have narrowed the meaning of education to such a point that all education, all learning, is merely a means to an end. We learn so as to become more efficient acquirers. We do not even comprehend why one might seek disinterested knowledge. We do not even comprehend the nature of disinterested knowledge.
[Questions for discussion]
Do you think serious self-learning after schooling is complete is important?
Why is learning “disinterested knowledge important?
Do our schools teach students to understand or just to know?
Can a person learn serious domains of knowledge without a teacher?
Learning without a teacher
Learning without a teacher
It is the innane nature of man not to leave this world without holding his hands to the heavens and shouting "WHYYYYYYYYYYY"?
~Quoth the Raven, Nevermore!~
Learning without a teacher
Disinterested Knowledge: Mixing bowl of creativity
Instrumental knowledge is interested knowledge. Instrumental knowledge is the life blood of a value system that places the maximizing of production and consumption as “Number One.
Disinterested knowledge is the un-knowledge, it is the non-instrumental knowledge. Disinterested knowledge is an alien and clumsy word in a society that places maximum value on production and consumption. Disinterested knowledge is not a catalyst of production and consumption but it is the catalyst of creativity. Disinterested knowledge is the mixing bowl of creativity.
Creativity is the synthesis of the known into a model of the unknown. The value of the unknown is yet to be determined. Creativity requires a comfort with the unknown.
Disinterested knowledge is an intrinsic value. Disinterested knowledge is not a means but an end. It is knowledge I seek because I desire to know it. I mean the term 'disinterested knowledge' as similar to 'pure research', as compared to 'applied research'. Pure research seeks to know truth unconnected to any specific application.
In our consumer society, disinterested knowledge is seldom a matter upon which institutional education will waste time. Disinterested knowledge is the province of the self-learner. I think of the self-learner of disinterested knowledge as driven by curiosity and imagination to understand.It is noteworthy that disinterested knowledge is knowledge I am driven to acquire because it is of dominating interest to me. Because I have such an interest in this disinterested knowledge my adrenaline level rises in anticipation of my voyage of discovery.
“When God wanted to create the world, the conservative angels, with tears in their eyes, shouted to Him, ‘Lord, do not destroy chaos.—Mark Van Doran
Instrumental knowledge is interested knowledge. Instrumental knowledge is the life blood of a value system that places the maximizing of production and consumption as “Number One.
Disinterested knowledge is the un-knowledge, it is the non-instrumental knowledge. Disinterested knowledge is an alien and clumsy word in a society that places maximum value on production and consumption. Disinterested knowledge is not a catalyst of production and consumption but it is the catalyst of creativity. Disinterested knowledge is the mixing bowl of creativity.
Creativity is the synthesis of the known into a model of the unknown. The value of the unknown is yet to be determined. Creativity requires a comfort with the unknown.
Disinterested knowledge is an intrinsic value. Disinterested knowledge is not a means but an end. It is knowledge I seek because I desire to know it. I mean the term 'disinterested knowledge' as similar to 'pure research', as compared to 'applied research'. Pure research seeks to know truth unconnected to any specific application.
In our consumer society, disinterested knowledge is seldom a matter upon which institutional education will waste time. Disinterested knowledge is the province of the self-learner. I think of the self-learner of disinterested knowledge as driven by curiosity and imagination to understand.It is noteworthy that disinterested knowledge is knowledge I am driven to acquire because it is of dominating interest to me. Because I have such an interest in this disinterested knowledge my adrenaline level rises in anticipation of my voyage of discovery.
“When God wanted to create the world, the conservative angels, with tears in their eyes, shouted to Him, ‘Lord, do not destroy chaos.—Mark Van Doran