The Relation Between Learning and Wisdom
"But aren't love of learning and love of wisdom the same?" Socrates asks Glaucon in Book II of Plato's Republic. "Yes, the same," Glaucon answers. And the dialogue passes on to the next point. Today, outside utopia one might question whether these two are the same, since we so often see the one pursued in the absence of the other. In an essay of no more than 750 words, take up the problem of the relation between learning and wisdom.
For many college students, the only time the relation between learning and wisdom becomes evident is when an exam is placed before him or her, and the nature of the college experience abruptly changes from passive learning to the conveyance of that learning, under the constraints of time, pressure, and the endurance of the muscles in the hand. There is, however, an alternative to passive learning, one that many students shy away from out of fear of embarrassment or scorn, and, to be truthful, out of sloth. These students attend college without purpose, without direction, and with only a vague notion of what they truly possess a passion for. They attend class and that is all. When the class proceeds, they do not speak, they do not question, they simply exist, as stones do, and listen in rock-like silence. And they learn. In the most painful, difficult way possible, they learn.
For others, the learning proceeds a different way. These students are interested, prepared, and vocal. They come to class not to obtain some elusive 5% of the grade doled out on the basis of attendance but rather to question and to probe. They take what is presented to them and mentally polish and refine it, continually molding it, never satisfied with si...
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...hat learning which they pursue, and that passion derives in no way from a resignation to leave that learning the same as it was before the student arrived. These scholars turn that passion, that love, to the unending task of refining, analyzing, and adding to the body of learning, and it is through this task that the elusive goal of wisdom is pursued. I believe that my pursuit of scholarship, along with the inspiration given me by many fine individuals, has kindled a some small measure of passion within me for that which I learn, and this love of learning I hope to someday translate in to a lasting contribution. Then, and only then, will that passion have achieved part of the unending task laid before those who truly love learning, the herculean endeavor of expanding the body of human knowledge and imparting some small portion of wisdom to future generations.
During my first few days of sophomore year at Stuyvesant High School, I saw how the ways of thinking were diverse in each of my classes. In my European Literature class, where, in our first reading assignment, we questioned the purpose of education itself. I always went with the flow in my learning, and never stopped to say to myself, “Why am I doing this to myself?”. However, once I read Live and Learn by Louis Menand, I started to think about Menand’s three theories of college and juxtapose each of them to my experience so far in high school. In the end, I concluded that many of my classes followed the main points of Theory 2, which was the theory that I mostly agreed with when I read the article for the first time.
In the mind of allusions, wisdom may be something of a question when brought about by someone’s melancholy. Misery has a tendency to cloud ones judgment when it comes to rational thinking. This is exactly what Edgar Allan Poe portrays in his poem, “The Raven.” Poe’s poem was published in three different papers in 1845, within the timeframe of not two months (Miller 126). John H. Ingram believes the story to be a possible “hoax” because the question of what is or is not real comes to life. Though Ingram’s idea of the meaning in “The Raven” may be correct, a connection can be found that will lead to the idea of pure insanity for the narrator (2). Symbols are the fabric of connections between two objects: the object in a story and the one that comes to mind. In the narrator’s eyes, this raven symbolizes not only his sorrow for the loss of a loved one, but also the question of friend or foe, making these allusions much more surreal.
During said lecture he discussed Descartes. Many students were intrigued by his words. Previously the answer to his question had been clear, the point of college was to learn. However, today with numerous advancements and changes to the educational world, the answer isn’t so simple. As higher education grows, so does the exploration of its atmosphere and purpose. With a great number of students enrolling in both two and four-year college alike the question remains what’s the point of going to college? What is the reason most students go to college? What are they looking to get out it? Although the author touched base on these concepts they are not the only college experiences out there. There and severe different educational
A major theme in Becoming a Learner is that the journey of learning and who we become at the end of that journey is far more important than the resulting accomplishment. Internalizing this theme will be helpful throughout college as well as within subsequent career and private life. Far too often we get caught up in titles and outwardly appearances and lose sight of what really matters. What really matters is how the journey of learning has impacted who we are on the inside. Sanders states, “It’s not just that you completed a degree; it is how you earned your degree and the cumulative effects of your education that matter” (9).
The conflict on how students should be taught and how well is addressed in the book, College: What It Was, Is, And Should Be by Andrew Delbanco. The book addresses what college is for, describes the origins of colleges, and explains who goes and who does not. Colleges started with a religious aspect and have formed the foundation of contemporary, liberal education. Colleges are also meant to help an individual understand what inspires them and understand the social implications of ideas. Delbanco says that learning should bring to bear in a situation where students have to respect, consult and aid each other. This point is highlighted when Delbanco declares, “A college should not be a haven from worldly contention, but a place where young people fight out among and within themselves contending ideas of the meaningful life, and where they discover that self-interest need not be at ...
Students go to college in search of knowledge, a new lifestyle, and the hope of a job after graduation. For many young adults, college is a rite of passage into an independent, mature new lifestyle. Not only is higher education a rite of passage, for some, it is also an opportunity to have a better life. Overall, college is a wonderful part of many people’s lives, yet the way the college education system is conducted wastes students time and money. College is basically composed of two parts: general education classes and major specific classes. General education courses are the source of wasted time and money, and should not be required of students. A few of the problems associated with general education classes are that they are basically a repeat of high school, unfortunately they can be the demise of students, they are costly, and they waste time.
Tagg, John. “Why Learn? What We May Really Be Teaching Students.” About Campus. 2004. Print.
The Search for Wisdom Wisdom, as defined in the dictionary, is "the sum of learning through the ages; knowledge". Plato's Socrates indicates that wisdom is the acknowledgement of ignorance. This statement may be hard to prove true. If a deaf and dumb man came to realize that he knew nothing, because he was not able to learn it, does this make him wise? I do not believe that.
It is time to turn the tables and test the teachers on the challenge of college. Throughout high school, students are told all about how difficult college is and what to expect. Not yet having experienced it, the students typically prepare for the worst. They teach themselves how to study based on the standards of their high school. They write papers, do homework, and participate in class in the attempt to meet the expectations of their teachers. They base their picture of college off their teachers’ standards and what their peers say. While many high school students have developed accurate expectations regarding the difficulties of college, the study skills acquired in high school may not be enough to ensure success at the collegiate level.
The desire to learn new things means that both sides, students and teachers, must have an engaged pedagogy. According to hooks, an engaged pedagogy is both sides are willing to learn and grow. Not only the students are empowered and are encourage sharing things about themselves and learning new things but teachers are also meant to do these things (21). This is a barrier because if students and teachers are not willing to learn and grow democratic citizens cannot be created. This is so because people will not be educated of differences and others react and deal with different things in society. This goes along with the importance of self-actualization of teachers in the class...
College is not the end of the journey. Students need to be reminded constantly that their learning will continue on into their careers and life. All the learning activities and assignments are simply a foundation for the skill of the lifelong learner. The instructor simply points them out and directs the student.
Education is an ongoing process; remains through all the stages of life. Knowledge is deep-sea and one can never claim to have acquired all of it. Sim...
What does it mean to be wise? What does it mean to be wise? Is it the specialization of one thing or the knowledge of many? Perhaps it is determined by your age or experience? Well, according to Socrates, arguably one of the world’s greatest philosophers, human wisdom can be characterized as knowing what one does know.
The overall essence of education or knowledge acquisition is reflected in an axiom by Confucius which says “Tell me, and I will forget; show me, and I will remember; but involve me, and I will understand. Back then, it was clear that learning was a comprehensive process which involves passionate exchanges between students and their teachers; unfortunately this is not the case in most modern classrooms. Instead of the expected bidirectional communication between learners and teachers, in the modern learning environment there is a unidirectional system which involves the teacher incessantly hurling facts at students who, due to their passive roles as mere receptacles, have fallen asleep or; in the case of “best” students are mindlessly taking notes. This leads to a situation where knowledge has neither been conferred nor acquired.
Education is an ever-changing part of society. A classroom teacher is faced with new challenges and obstacles that have never been dealt with before. Students come to the classroom with different life stories. Every student has strengths and weaknesses that surface in the classroom environment. Teachers must understand and focus on utilizing each student's strengths and work to improve weaknesses. Students learn in a variety of ways. The classroom must be a safe zone that appreciates student's viewpoints and allows room for mistakes. When topics in the classroom are related to "real-life" experiences, the information is more likely to be retained. Students learn from one another. The ideas and perspectives that each student brings to the classroom can bring insight into what is being learned. Students have to be allowed to explore new ideas, try them to see if they work, and sometimes fail. When students are encouraged to explore, they begin the process of becoming lifelong learners.