The Essence of Learning

The Essence of Learning

Learning can be absorbed in different ways, and for me, I love to engage with learning through an actual paper-and-ink book with a real spine. My education has mostly consisted of putting pencil to paper from notetaking to test taking, and that is still how I like to learn. As to the content of the books themselves, I enjoy learning any new concepts, whether mathematics, literature, or something else, though I favor English courses above the math ones. However, if I do not understand the reasoning behind what I am learning, I generally feel dissatisfied with my work. In essence, I seek to understand the truths (or untruths) and reasoning behind everything I learn and to experience the joy of learning it all.

            Through learning I have discovered truths and wisdom which endure through generations. Many of my courses in high school covered ancient and biblical history, and those subjects became two of my favorite to study. I remember being surprised by the verity of an observation or declaration an author such as Livy would strike upon in his writings. As Schall notes, “Students who read Plato, Aristotle, St. Paul, and St. Augustine often are struck to find themselves brought more up to date, in a way, than when they read the New York Times or the latest textbook” (27). The wisdom displayed by ancient authors often brings forth a deeper understanding of the present world because in the texts they wrote hundreds of years prior, “the Greeks and Romans regarded themselves as addressing mankind … [m]etaphysics was not  ‘Greek’ metaphysics, but ‘metaphysics’ … [the principles of ‘oratory’ were not Roman, but universal” (30). The manuscripts we have today detailing the many aspects, theories, and concepts of life in the ancient world are truths which have been observed of mankind and the world and a constant throughout history. Learning these truths has helped expand my understanding of life today and the life which came before me. When I realize I can relate to those who lived hundreds of years ago, it is an incredible feeling. I remember reading Proverbs and finding a verse that stated there is nothing new under the sun. As I have studied ancient works, that verse continually enters my mind, for “the initial sources were enriched by the later ones. The end did not forget the beginning, nor did the beginning remain sterile to the end” (31). Schall goes on to show how authors such as Cicero and Augustine have been inspired by texts written before their time to author works themselves. These works have been preserved so that we may study and learn those things which their authors pondered and strived to understand in their lifetime. I believe that learning from the past has helped me to engage with my present life with a greater understanding and hopefully more wisdom towards the world around me. 

            Another aspect of learning is the joy it offers. I have not always loved what I am learning, but there is joy from having learned it. That joy is compounded when I am studying what I love though, and that feeling drives me to learn even more. Even if the knowledge does not have practical application, like how far away earth is from the sun, “just to ‘know’ something is itself a pleasure” (27) Knowledge is not something to be had. Rather, it is something to be known, and that in itself is satisfying. Putting the know in a new piece of knowledge certainly gives me joy. Experiencing something can be enhanced by knowing about it as well. I remember learning and sometimes still puzzling over the ability to see colors. How light hits my eyes to give off a certain color fascinates me as much as seeing those colors. Learning can often help to “experience the proper pleasure due to knowing, according to what they are, all the things that are– seeing, tasting, listening, touching, smelling, remembering, imagining, knowing, thinking, and believing” (33). Simply put, knowing can enhance the pleasure of doing. I feel joy in learning and understanding the world in which I live, which makes doing the living in it an even more enjoyable experience.

            Learning has also enabled me to gain the knowledge to think for myself. Often I hear that phrase and cringe. The mental image I picture of is as Schall describes Athens: “A disordered city, a democracy wherein freedom simply meant doing and saying whatever one wanted with no concern about its truth or effect” (25). However, being able to think for myself I have learned can mean not believing what someone says simply because they said it. Having the knowledge to form an argument for or against a concept or theory is important. Learning can be the path to discerning the true nature of things, “for when we do know something, ‘for its own sake,’ we also know its truth or falsity; otherwise, we do not really know it” (24). Having knowledge about something often reveals the trueness or falseness of something. Growing up I learned the seven days of creation, while I was ignorant to all but the titles applied to atheistic views of life’s origins: evolution, the big bang, ect. As a Christian, I opposed any theories associated with these atheistic theories. However, one day my biology textbook, which was a Christian course, introduced and taught what those theories were. The author soon explained that he did so so we could see upon what the theories were based and then the arguments against each. Seeing those two particular sides is important to me, as “the knowledge of error–even great error–is not something that we should reject knowing,” for one ‘must, however, not only state the true view,’ as Aristotle observed, ‘but also explain the false views, since an explanation of that promotes confidence. For when we have an apparently reasonable explanation of why a false view appears true, that makes us more confident of the true view” (Ethics II54a23-26). Studying what we believe or know to be false only strengthens my stance in what I believe or know to be true. Learning two contrasting viewpoints can not only help to strengthen our beliefs but also to see past the false fronts of certain claims or beliefs we know to be false. I have learned the importance of having the ability to defend my stance based on knowledge of both sides and having chosen based on that understanding.

            Learning has given me insight into many areas. The joy-filled moments when I finally understand or learn a new concept are reminders of how important learning is in my life. In “Artes Liberales,” James Schall emphasizes the importance of learning and how much it impacts our daily life. For me those impacts have been the independence, joy, and wisdom it has instilled in me.