Learning and Unlearning

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, whose nom de plume or assumed name was Mark Twain, is well known as a humor writer. However, his writings are also full of philosophical thoughts and pearls of wisdom. Mark Twain said about education: "Education consists of mainly what we have unlearned." These words are worth pondering.

In education almost all emphasis is mostly on learning. Commonly education and learning are perceived synonymous, though both are related yet different. Education is impossible without unlearning. It is because to err is human and humans learn as they grow. What humans learn at an earlier stage of learning or education is likely to be erroneous. As knowledge, education and learning grow, errors diminishes with unlearning. Learning at a later stage is obviously better than that at an earlier stage.

Education, learning and unlearning can be comprehended by an instance of a glass full of water. When a glass is full of water but water is dirty, first it needed to be emptied for filling it with clean water.

In the present day world, education is known as teaching and learning at various types of formal educational institutes. People educated at these institutes develop various worldviews after education. Problem is that formal education is not sufficient to solve problems prevailing in the present day world. A lot of unlearning is needed which is not possible through formal education. Formal education is based on economic aspects of education and altruistic aspects are absent totally.

An education enabling a person to move upward on social ladder without any care for other human beings, cannot develop a humanistic environment. Paradox is whatever progress a person, people or part of the world makes, it has to remain in the same world with others. Even the most successful do not find themselves satisfied in a mostly unaltruistic world.

No wonder, Mark Twain the writer of hilarious writings such as "Life on the Mississippi", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and others, wrote disappointed with humans in his writings at the later stages of his brilliant career as a writer. 

By: Ashraf Naushahi

(Educator, Writer, Book-Reviewer, Specialist in English Literature, Translator)