Perception of Self-Interest LO14076

Winfried Dressler (winfried.dressler@voith.de)
Fri, 20 Jun 1997 10:03:46 +0100

Anne and Bill Fisher wrote in Identifying Learning Needs LO14001

"the DESIRE to learn must stem from my perception of my own self-interest"
- "I'm using "self-interest" in the sense that Ayn Rand used it"

Thank you for this statement! I would like to hear more about the sense
that Ayn Rand used.

To my personal experience, there are several conflicting self-interests
within myself. Which self-interest rules my action? I am often surprised
of myself (sometimes positively, more often negatively). The perception of
my own self-interest is changing sometimes quite rapidely, if the
understanding of "perception" is not concious thinking about my
selfinterest but the actual underlying motivator for my actual action.

For either understanding of perception the questions arises: where does
the perception come from? With this question I am leaving the area of
learning and come to education (can I say meta-learning?).

The concept of "commitment" in the sense of F. Flores (as I learned from
this list - great idea, thank you!) is giving an educational guideline
with a high ethical standard, yet easy to understand. It links
self-interest with the needs around me. This education leads to learning.

Another educational job shaping the perception of self-interest is doing
the neverending stream of advertisments - buy this, buy that. This
education leads to wanting.

Thanks for bringing in this topic.

-- 


Winfried.Dressler@voith.de


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