educating yourself

[Deleted]

Dec 12, 2021 20:49:38 GMT Reactionary Rage said:

Dec 12, 2021 20:29:17 GMT @madcyril1 said:

It's an interesting question. In some strange way, there is something enriching and nourishing in acquiring knowledge.

I agree.  It's about self improvement.  Trying to maximise your potential.

There is satisfaction in that.  But most people are limited in what they are interested in and have limited time and energy to spend gaining extra knowledge.  There is a difference between knowing a lot about, say, videos games because you enjoy playing them and subjects that you don't necessarily have an interest in but you decide to learn more from an academic pov as a means to gain extra knowledge and understanding. 

 

But you have to have an interest in it, otherwise there's no point.

[Reactionary Rage]

Well yeah but you can also learn about subjects you don't have much interest in too. I'm trying to learn more about economics even if it's not something that really interests me just because it's something I feel I should know more about to understand how things work.

[Deleted]

I know what you mean, but I don't think it's possible to develop real knowledge in something you have no interest in.

[~ / % ? *]

Dec 12, 2021 21:23:41 GMT @madcyril1 said:

I know what you mean, but I don't think it's possible to develop real knowledge in something you have no interest in.

Well, many people do for jobs they may not love, but do, because it is a job. 

Also if you are born into a tradesmen family, you may learn something at such an early age, you may acquire knowledge for something that takes some  time and living for you come to hate or never care for.

Many people learn how to drive a car, but do not go onto knowing how to maintain a car, because for the first they are required to gain knowledge for a license to drive, for the second they are not required to know anything about how their car works.

But yes, by volition one may not be successful in learning something unless they have to, if they are not inclined to.

[oh oooh]

It's an interesting point G makes. I suppose you need motivation to really get stuck in to something - and the best kind of motivation is internal.

[Half Machine Lipschitz]

Dec 12, 2021 20:57:10 GMT @littlejimmyosmond said:

Do you ever wonder why you can’t see yourself in a photograph of a mirror?

[souphound]

For some people, there must be at least a touch of the fear of the unknown stopping them from poking at things they don't understand and wouldn't want to disturb. There's also the fear of looking foolish by showing what they don't know. So they coccoon up and make do with what they have, for some happily, for others less so.

Chances are that about 6 years ago you knew someone who swore by their reliable old flip phone, rejecting the whole concept of smartphones and what they could do for them. For some, it was just the fear of the "new". For some it was the fear of the "extra $$" cost of course. Whatever. Most of those folks now have and are permanently physically attached to their iPhone. Some not, but most are I suggest. (I have absolutely no numbers on this, just relying on my personal observations really, for what it's worth).

[souphound]

Dec 12, 2021 23:00:55 GMT Half Machine Lipschitz said:

Dec 12, 2021 20:57:10 GMT @littlejimmyosmond said:

Do you ever wonder why you can’t see yourself in a photograph of a mirror?

Aaah!  I see the sun went down 19 minutes ago!  Hello Count.

[cousinlou]

I wish I could say I am on a permanent mission to educate myself but I feel all the absorbing of knowledge I do is driven by an overwhelming curiosity in life & people. 

[Deleted]

Dec 13, 2021 12:52:44 GMT cousinlou said:

I wish I could say I am on a permanent mission to educate myself but I feel all the absorbing of knowledge I do is driven by an overwhelming curiosity in life & people. 

Yes same here, it has almost nothing to do with "self Improvement"

[oh oooh]

I think it's all about bettering yourself in some way. If you're receptive. You gain wisdom from observing, trying things out, listening

[Reactionary Rage]

Dec 13, 2021 13:32:56 GMT oh oooh said:

I think it's all about bettering yourself in some way. If you're receptive. You gain wisdom from observing, trying things out, listening

Aye.  I see it as part of a journey you go on.  You are trying to learn, gain knowledge and wisdom along the way to improve yourself.  

[Deleted]

Dec 13, 2021 13:37:24 GMT Reactionary Rage said:

Dec 13, 2021 13:32:56 GMT oh oooh said:

I think it's all about bettering yourself in some way. If you're receptive. You gain wisdom from observing, trying things out, listening

Aye.  I see it as part of a journey you go on.  You are trying to learn, gain knowledge and wisdom along the way to improve yourself.  

Maybe for some people, I don't think it's that way for me particularly though. I'm not very goal orientated.
It's harder to say why however. It's about curiousity yes, but on a deeper, existential level it's probably about the search for meaning.

[rayge]

There's a difference between education, formal education and learning, though, isn't there?

Learning is the laying down of new synapses. It's an animal thing, nothing to do with consciousness. Education is the conscious direction of this process, prompted either through curiousity, focus and interest (self-education) or by outside diktat (formal education).

[oh oooh]

yes as usual people are talking about slightly different things because the FOOL who started the thread didn't define his terms 😡