What's subordinate? Learning or Knowledge LO20794

Douglas Max (dmax@bellatlantic.net)
Wed, 03 Mar 1999 13:37:10 -0500

In LO20533 (http://www.learning-org.com/99.02/0018.html), John Gunkler
wrote,

"So, is learning essential to my well-being? Yes, I certainly believe it
is. Is it the most important thing I do? It's tempting to blurt out,
"Yes," but I'm not sure it would be true. Right now, for example, being
sensitive to my partner's needs seems to be the most important. Perhaps I
need to learn new things so I may do that better -- but there's that
instrumental value of learning, again.

So, in summary, I believe learning is uniquely important because it has
instrumental value for nearly anything else we do -- is there any other
activity about which we can say that? I'm not sure. But, as I was taught

to reason, something that derives value from its ability to create
something else of value is a subordinate, not superordinate, value. Or, in
other words, something that has instrumental value is not a higher value
than the thing(s) it is instrumental in creating."

In response to my response (teach a man to fish and you teach him for a
lifetime), John writes (LO 20765), "But, Doug, my point is just precisely
that learning how to fish can only be valuable if having fish is
valuable!"

I agree, John, that learning to fish isn't important if you don't value
fish. But, learning itself is the mechanism through which, I dare say, we
get most out of life. If all can spring forth from learning (or most
anyway), then what is more important, the ability to learn, or the
knowledge derived therefrom?

Now, if you don't value knowledge, or growth, or understanding, or
attempting to understand, then learning isn't important. I, for one,
would rather be wanting for knowledge (I frankly am, whether I chose to be
or not!), than for the ability to learn. Although, I suspect that many of
our larger organizations care less about the ability to learn then they do
about what they know. But, they better have some skills at the former if
they hope to get the latter!

Never really liked fishing either!

Cordially,

Doug

-- 

Douglas M. Max Managing Director LR Communication Systems, Inc. http://www.LRcom.com 139 Dogwood Lane Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-0264 USA

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