Is this a trick question? Certainly not… at least for me. Let me explain what does the question really mean to me! May be the learning in the question needs to be replaced with education. So the question really is “Can we still learn without getting formal education?”
In a traditional sense, to learn or to be educated, someone needs to go to school, study books, practice, take tests, take exams & finally get a degree.
So to become an engineer, you study engineering and so is true for a doctor or lawyer or teacher etc.
Let’s take an example …something common so we all can relate to it.
When I have cold & flu; I normally don’t go to a doctor. It’s an established fact that the body will recover from a common cold & flu in 5-7 days.
Now I would like to do a thought experiment… say Mogli (Or substitute it with Tarzan if you like) gets flu. Knowing that he was raised by wolves (or gorillas in case of Tarzan), he doesn’t know what flu is and so Mogli panics. He runs a high fever, body aches, soar throat etc. Since he has never experienced it before he finds himself helpless (the wolves or gorillas don’t know what to do either). So not knowing what to do, he just lies down. And so the flu runs its course and eventually Mogli recovers. Next year the same thing happens. We know Mogli is a smart young kid, so Mogli starts thinking. He says, if this happens again the 3rd time, then I know I don’t need to worry. I will feel better in a week anyway. I just need to rest. (or may be he says after 7 nights or something). But you get the point.
So what did Mogli do? He had no one to learn it from other than himself. He wasn’t being taught but as Yoda would say “Learning he was!”
The point is that “One can learn just by observation & thinking.”
Remember the classic thought experiment by Einstein that started the theory of relativity….or the Schrodinger’s cat that was pivotal in discussions on quantum mechanics?
What I am getting at is; we are always learning as long as we observe facts, ask ourselves questions and try to answer those by experimenting.
In my opinion developing the skill to observe the facts & try to device the thought experiments and answer those questions is difficult but not impossible. I am not sure how one can cultivate it other than just doing it.
The aim is not to find a right answer but find “answers” to try to move the needle on developing deeper understanding. Cultivating this habit is an essential part of critical systems thinking. And more over it’s fun. Doesn’t cost anything other than time. It could be done alone or in group, it could be done while exercising or lying down.
Thinking can be a fun activity and is often rewarding!
So learning while not learning for me is answered. What do you think?
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