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Tuesday, March 11. 2008

Learning Things

Lately I have been thinking about the difference between learning things and learning about things.

The difference operates on several levels, I think. In the end, learning things is effortful but rewarding, while learning about things is effortless and much more fun.

I have always held that, if you cannot reconstruct a Chemistry equation from scratch, from pure reasoning, you really do not know the thing at all: You just know about it. (Yes, I am thinking at the moment about the Gas Laws.)

Had I a hundred free hours today, I would go on about the implications for psychotherapy, blogging, education, God, and life in general. But I don't.

Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Psychology, and Dr. Bliss at 13:48 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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''Had I a hundred free hours today, I would go on about the implications for psychotherapy, blogging, education, God, and life in general. But I don't.''

Dr. Bliss, I had the same reaction reading the below comment by Paul on the "Chevez Democrats" post. The mind cranks up, sparks start flying, then suddenly it's all too big to cope with on the fly.

''I think it's just the inevitable reflexive result of Marxist indoctrination. You can tell ahead of time, every time, which side of a dispute a lefty will gravitate towards. The one antithetical to the interests of America and capitalism. Period. Sure there's always greed, self interest, etc., but egotism is the most powerful motivator and the egos of leftists are built entirely on the foundation of the assumed moral superiority of their politics. Gramsci and his followers combined Marxism and Freudianism in a toxic brew devised to hold the indoctrinated masses' self esteem hostage to their leftist politics. That's why it is so durable in spite of all the contrary empirical evidence and the heavy burden of massive cognitive dissonance.''
#1 buddy larsen on 2008-03-11 14:45 (Reply)
Consider Le Chatelier's principle, which (expanded a little) says that society organizes to oppose whatever improvement is inflicted on it.
#2 Ron Hardin (Link) on 2008-03-11 15:23 (Reply)
“One hundred hours,” is a refrain I’ve adopted to remind myself of my personal commitment to “learning things”. Thus this post creates a pleasant synchronicity for me.

“One hundred hours” represents an arbitrary signifier for the beginning of intimacy with a subject or discipline; it’s a commitment to pursue the ideal of a fluid intellectual athleticism within an area of knowledge.

It’s a notion well worth aggressing upon, the rewards myriad and deep. Our challenge is merely to be worthy of the undertaking.

Thanks for posting.
#3 Jephnol on 2008-03-11 17:29 (Reply)
CS Lewis reflected on this in "Meditations in a Toolshed," part of which is here: http://yourdailycslewis.blogspot.com/2004/11/more-meditations-in-toolshed.html
#4 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2008-03-11 18:06 (Reply)
thank you, AVI.
#4.1 BD on 2008-03-11 19:26 (Reply)

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