- Home
- LAC COLUMN
- The End of Learning - Transcending Knowledge into Wisdom – Chen, I-Ping
The End of Learning - Transcending Knowledge into Wisdom – Chen, I-Ping
The End of Learning - Transcending Knowledge into Wisdom
Recently I was entrusted with a task – to contemplate the core competencies and basic qualities of students belonging to the Liberal Arts. This matter has been lingering in my mind, and subtly, it became linked with the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. I will attempt to elucidate the underlying logic of this connection within the constraints of limited space.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, my LINE group has been filled with discussions on articles about Israel and Palestine. One of the discussion threads revolves around the remarkable achievements of Jewish people in various crucial fields worldwide, including finance, politics, business, education, energy, technology, medicine, media, entertainment, academia, and the arts. Anyone interested in this phenomenon can easily find numerous examples with a simple Google search. Regardless of your major, if you can identify Jewish surnames, you will undoubtedly find Jewish scholars mentioned far more frequently than their proportion in the global population in introductory textbooks of your field. Undoubtedly, Jewish people are exceptional in nearly every professional field. They possess numerous methods and attitudes about how to deeply understand knowledge, which are worth learning from.
What makes me sigh is that, despite the intelligence and talent of Jewish people in all fields of knowledge, they still seem to be incapable of solving a fundamental problem that has plagued this great nation for thousands of years: "How to peacefully get along with your neighbors." It must be emphasized that this is by no means a one-sided issue of the Jewish people. It is something humanity as a whole has yet to learn. What is astonishing is that our pursuit of knowledge seems to have a limited impact on solving such fundamental problems.
In Western tradition, the liberal arts represent a collection of paths for a free spirit to inquire about the ultimate truths of the universe. Today, the development and differentiation of subjects have evolved significantly compared to that in the Middle Ages. Instead of pondering what skills should be included in a liberal arts education, I place more emphasis on its manifestation of spirit – the desire of a free mind to understand universal truths. In my mind, universal truths encompass not only the ultimate physics but also the qualities of existence related to "peaceful coexistence with your neighbors," such as freedom, love, beauty, and abundance.
I would like to borrow a term from Buddhism, "transcending knowledge into wisdom," to express my ideal for liberal arts education. The knowledge we learn must remain at a different level than its utilitarian application or the cognitive level of theoretical frameworks. At this level, we may become brilliant, but we still lack the wisdom to create happiness.
Perhaps the value of liberal arts education lies in starting where professional education ends and having the alchemical power to transform knowledge into wisdom. Then, we can envision a future where we no longer need to resort to violence as a cry for help.
[Note]
1. In my understanding, the term "Israeli-Palestinian conflict" is somewhat misleading. The recent events in the Middle East are essentially more about the conflict between "People advocating for the use of force to resolve issues" and "people advocating peace" rather than a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
2. Here, I apologize to Buddhists for removing this term from its original context in Buddhist scriptures for ease of interpretation.
Recently I was entrusted with a task – to contemplate the core competencies and basic qualities of students belonging to the Liberal Arts. This matter has been lingering in my mind, and subtly, it became linked with the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. I will attempt to elucidate the underlying logic of this connection within the constraints of limited space.
Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, my LINE group has been filled with discussions on articles about Israel and Palestine. One of the discussion threads revolves around the remarkable achievements of Jewish people in various crucial fields worldwide, including finance, politics, business, education, energy, technology, medicine, media, entertainment, academia, and the arts. Anyone interested in this phenomenon can easily find numerous examples with a simple Google search. Regardless of your major, if you can identify Jewish surnames, you will undoubtedly find Jewish scholars mentioned far more frequently than their proportion in the global population in introductory textbooks of your field. Undoubtedly, Jewish people are exceptional in nearly every professional field. They possess numerous methods and attitudes about how to deeply understand knowledge, which are worth learning from.
What makes me sigh is that, despite the intelligence and talent of Jewish people in all fields of knowledge, they still seem to be incapable of solving a fundamental problem that has plagued this great nation for thousands of years: "How to peacefully get along with your neighbors." It must be emphasized that this is by no means a one-sided issue of the Jewish people. It is something humanity as a whole has yet to learn. What is astonishing is that our pursuit of knowledge seems to have a limited impact on solving such fundamental problems.
In Western tradition, the liberal arts represent a collection of paths for a free spirit to inquire about the ultimate truths of the universe. Today, the development and differentiation of subjects have evolved significantly compared to that in the Middle Ages. Instead of pondering what skills should be included in a liberal arts education, I place more emphasis on its manifestation of spirit – the desire of a free mind to understand universal truths. In my mind, universal truths encompass not only the ultimate physics but also the qualities of existence related to "peaceful coexistence with your neighbors," such as freedom, love, beauty, and abundance.
I would like to borrow a term from Buddhism, "transcending knowledge into wisdom," to express my ideal for liberal arts education. The knowledge we learn must remain at a different level than its utilitarian application or the cognitive level of theoretical frameworks. At this level, we may become brilliant, but we still lack the wisdom to create happiness.
Perhaps the value of liberal arts education lies in starting where professional education ends and having the alchemical power to transform knowledge into wisdom. Then, we can envision a future where we no longer need to resort to violence as a cry for help.
[Note]
1. In my understanding, the term "Israeli-Palestinian conflict" is somewhat misleading. The recent events in the Middle East are essentially more about the conflict between "People advocating for the use of force to resolve issues" and "people advocating peace" rather than a conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
2. Here, I apologize to Buddhists for removing this term from its original context in Buddhist scriptures for ease of interpretation.