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Editorial
October 28, 1927
Clinch Valley News
Tazewell, Jeffersonville, Tazewell County, Virginia
What is this article about?
The Baltimore Sun editorial argues that unlearning—forgetting old ideas—is harder and more crucial than learning for progress, as prejudice stems from clinging to the familiar. It warns of risks in adopting new beliefs and cites the Bourbons as dull but successful rulers.
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OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
UNLEARNING.
(Baltimore Sun)
"Education" and "learning" are terms that in common parlance are interchangeable. An educated man is said to be a learned man. Schools, colleges, and universities are spoken of as institutions of learning. Little attention is paid to what, after all, is far more important than learning— namely, unlearning.
Learning is achieved through the ability to remember, while unlearning requires a gift for forgetting, and of the two forgetting is the more difficult. You can't teach an old dog new tricks and those of you who have passed through youth and are arriving at middle age are, to all intents and purposes, old dogs. The inability to unlearn is known as prejudice and prejudice has no little justification. It is the natural desire to hold to what is familiar and in the tradition. Prejudice makes an appeal to sentiment; it calls up old associations; it reflects oftentimes a respect for parents, for country, for religion and for environment.
On the other hand, the world is calling for those who can unlearn. Discovery, invention and research bring such pressure to bear that it is essential to make a readjustment in belief if one is not to become stagnant. If there were no unlearning, there could be no progress. Yet the willingness to readily accept new creeds for old increases the risk of pursuing false prophets. It is essential not only to know how to unlearn but what to unlearn. Therefore, most people are forever running the risk of appearing on the one hand as fools and on the other as dullards.
The ability to unlearn would appear essential to success. But wait. There was a certain family that bore the name of Bourbon. The Bourbons were distinguished for their stupidity. And so it came to be said of them that "they never learned anything and they never forgot anything."
Yet they lived gloriously for many generations.
If you are too dull to unlearn, do not give up hope. You may be a Bourbon at heart. If you are dull enough, you may even become a ruler.
(Baltimore Sun)
"Education" and "learning" are terms that in common parlance are interchangeable. An educated man is said to be a learned man. Schools, colleges, and universities are spoken of as institutions of learning. Little attention is paid to what, after all, is far more important than learning— namely, unlearning.
Learning is achieved through the ability to remember, while unlearning requires a gift for forgetting, and of the two forgetting is the more difficult. You can't teach an old dog new tricks and those of you who have passed through youth and are arriving at middle age are, to all intents and purposes, old dogs. The inability to unlearn is known as prejudice and prejudice has no little justification. It is the natural desire to hold to what is familiar and in the tradition. Prejudice makes an appeal to sentiment; it calls up old associations; it reflects oftentimes a respect for parents, for country, for religion and for environment.
On the other hand, the world is calling for those who can unlearn. Discovery, invention and research bring such pressure to bear that it is essential to make a readjustment in belief if one is not to become stagnant. If there were no unlearning, there could be no progress. Yet the willingness to readily accept new creeds for old increases the risk of pursuing false prophets. It is essential not only to know how to unlearn but what to unlearn. Therefore, most people are forever running the risk of appearing on the one hand as fools and on the other as dullards.
The ability to unlearn would appear essential to success. But wait. There was a certain family that bore the name of Bourbon. The Bourbons were distinguished for their stupidity. And so it came to be said of them that "they never learned anything and they never forgot anything."
Yet they lived gloriously for many generations.
If you are too dull to unlearn, do not give up hope. You may be a Bourbon at heart. If you are dull enough, you may even become a ruler.
What sub-type of article is it?
Education
Social Reform
What keywords are associated?
Unlearning
Prejudice
Progress
Education
Forgetting
Bourbons
Stagnation
What entities or persons were involved?
Bourbons
Baltimore Sun
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Importance Of Unlearning Over Learning
Stance / Tone
Philosophical Advocacy With Humor
Key Figures
Bourbons
Baltimore Sun
Key Arguments
Unlearning Is More Important Than Learning For Progress
Prejudice Arises From Inability To Forget Old Ideas
World Demands Unlearning To Avoid Stagnation
Risk Of Following False Prophets By Unlearning Indiscriminately
Bourbons Succeeded Despite Never Learning Or Unlearning