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Learning as
being-in-the-world
Living is learning, but
what makes learning a
lively experience? A
personal, somewhat
philosophical statement
by guest editor
professor rik maes
ll too often, even in academic circles, learning is put
A on a par with acquiring and remembering
information. The more you learn, the more you
know. I argue in favour of a much more intense concept of
learning, one that prepares you for living in the many
futures which are possible and that can (at least partly) be
set up by yourself: learning is my vital stance through which
I am “in-the-world”, in the Heideggerian sense. The more
you learn, the more you are – and the more you can.
Learning becomes this deeper experience if it:
* appeals to a higher personal aspiration;
* occurs in open dialogue with others; and
* aims at action in practice.
Whether you call it third order learning,
transformational learning or metanoia, the meaning of real
learning is in real transformation: learning is, in the first
instance, a voyage of discovery inside yourself.
This vision of learning is based on an age-long tradition
synthesised metaphorically by the Dutch philosopher
Arnold Cornelis. He argues that learning targets are not
outside, but inside human beings; as a consequence,
courses can never have learning targets, as is often required
by educationalists. Good teaching is able to bridge the gap
between an external world view and the personal emotional
self-image of both teacher and students. It never imposes or
prescribes; rather, it reveals possibilities.
Real learning means continuously challenging your own
(preconceived) ideas about society, organisations and
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convergence
guest
editor
particularly about yourself; ultimately, it means thinking –
and above all, acting – in a fundamentally different way.
According to Hans-Georg Gadamer, the German
philosopher, learning means widening your horizon with the
horizon of others. This can best be realised via dialogue
with others, not in an effort to convince them, but simply to
acquire a deeper, shared meaning.
Learning means opening yourself to the differences
between people. Too often, diversity is considered as
difficult, rather than an opportunity. At its best, learning is
a common engagement of diverse individuals.
As children, we learn through observing and imitating.
This is quite obvious in the medical world. Nobody questions
the fact that a medical school combines teaching and
research with patient care. But where is the care for
organisations in our learning processes? An old Spanish
proverb says: “No es lo mismo hablar de toros que estar
en el redondel” – “talking about bulls as not the same thing
as being in the bull ring”.
The same applies to academic researchers, caught in
unproductive accounting and tendering procedures, and in
short-sighted “publish-or-perish” prescriptions. In a
situation where the future has become unpredictable, and
where IT functions as an accelerator of this ongoing
process, so-called academic “rigour” is too often a loincloth
for hands-on irrelevance.
You need to discover learning yourself. A teacher can
demonstrate it, but he cannot live through it in your place!
vol 6 no 4