From Knowledge to Wisdom: Essays on the Crisis in Contemporary Learning

by Julio Olalla

Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Julio Olalla’s “From Knowledge to Wisdom” presents a compelling case that what Einstein foresaw, and what humanity is seeing more clearly each passing day, is that a “new way” of thinking is essential to face the breakdowns we have created in the world. Following Einstein's idea, the question we could ask is,“What IS knowing?” or “What is learning?” If we listen closely to educational experts and advisors feel is needed, we will hear that their concern is, “What should be learned?” not “What is LEARNING?”There is ample evidence that our contemporary belief is that learning is synonymous with gathering information. The amount and variety of information and data available to us is at a level beyond previous human experience. And yet we are no more satisfied, no happier, not any more at peace, and feeling no more responsible as inhabitants of the earth. If knowing how to live was synonymous with having information, this should not be the case. We have long confused knowledge with wisdom - elevating the former and dismissing the latter.“From Knowledge to Wisdom” illuminates areas of human concern that are often left in the dark. What is our unseen relationship with the world around us? What do we believe about learning and knowing? How has that served us and how has it kept us ignorant? What do we believe it means to be human? What new possibilities are emerging? Reflecting on these questions and exploring the possibilities the reflection brings has everything to do with how we understand the world we live in, our place in it and how we navigate life on a daily basis. If you are “successful” by conventional standards, yet find yourself dissatisfied with your life, this book will challenge you to take a new look.

145 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Deanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main theme in the book is how something is missing from our current approach to learning, with the ultimate aim being to introduce ontological based learning. The book suggest that, as a society, we tend to see learning as a push towards increasing our control over the external world and that we learn in order to improve our capacity to exploit the natural world for human benefit. It then introduces the ontological approach to learning; that of us being observers and learning being about "observing the observer". The ontological interpretations of language, mood/emotions and body are introduced in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself relating this book back to some of my own learning. For example, understanding the general approach that society has to learning also helped me to reflect on and understand arrogance and other similar moods. Another review that I read described this book as "a hard read". My assessment is that it is definitely centred in philosophy, and is definitely a read that requires concentration. I also think that approaching it with curiosity, as well as having a basic understanding of Ontology, helped me to enjoy and understand it.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swashbooked, 10 minutes + discussion, Christmas 2012, with @ipreuss.

Why I picked it: Julio Olalla (who I learned from at an ALIA event) was the reason I decided for Newfield Network's organisational coach training. He teaches from a deep love and respect for people that makes his communication wonderful.

Notes:

From the Forward:
* "provoke you to question some of your basic assumptions about how things ARE and to be more vocal in your own exploration of the difficult questions you face in your own organisation and the systems in which you participate".
* "caveat to reader... these essays are for the initiated... studied managers, leaders, educators, trainers, consultants, coaches - anyone who teaches others or is interested in the topic of learning intself - who are wildly curious about how we, in Western culture, have arrived at our predominant worldviews that inform the actions we are taking."
* "... we need to shift our life style and the most fundamental of our presuppositions about what it means to live sustainably and in harmony with the planet"

Chapter 4: a new discourse on learning.
* "what is learning's relationship to knowledge? to wisdom? In our view, coaching is learning. In the profession of ontological coaching, taking care of, paying attention to, creating a context for the client's learning, is the coach's greatest responsibility. A coach must therefore be, above all, masterful in the domain of learning and a voracious student of the consequences of the current and needed discourses on learning. (also managers, leaders, teachers...)"

Assumptions explored:
* learning is individual (not communal);
* Truth exists objectively;
* Learning is primarly linguistic and rational/scientific.

Topic: The current "breakdown" in discourse on learning.
* "We need a new approach to learning in order to resolve some of the long-standing breakdowns that prevent us from leading more satisfying lives"... Correspondingly, learning must address not just our head, but also our body, soul, and spirit. It must find a balance between the conceptual/linguistic on the one hand, and the emotional, physical and archetypal on the other..."

Checked Kindle notes from other people, not much there.

Discussion:
* hard to read and philosophical.
* caveat (above) clearly says it is for those who want to know how we got here... but as a coach I am more interested in what is here, now. For those interested in the history of learning paradigms, this may be very interesting.
* i found this statement sensible and interesting:
"In the profession of ontological coaching, taking care of, paying attention to, creating a context for the client's learning, is the coach's greatest responsibility."
* but this one does not ring true to me
"A coach must therefore be, above all, masterful in the domain of learning and a voracious student of the consequences of the current and needed discourses on learning. (also managers, leaders, teachers...)"

* dry, theoretical and academic feeling - surprisingly, everything Julio is not, in person.

Decision:

Remove from Kindle. Maybe remove from account.