The horizon is not so far as we can see, but as far as we can imagine

Wisdom

is learning from other people’s mistakes.

Foolishness is not even learning from your own.

Fools must take at least partial responsibility for the results of their inability to learn.

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11 Comments

  1. Yes. I dunno what the specific context of this is, if there is one, but yes: I find a lot of people willing to absolve a lot of other people for their inability to learn, and it’s in a way kind of paternalistic.

  2. guest

    “I find a lot of people willing to absolve a lot of other people for their inability to learn, and it’s in a way kind of paternalistic.”

    No, it just their way of not being able to admit they were wrong and foolish, or that they listened to, repeated, or followed people who were wrong.

  3. “No, it just their way of not being able to admit they were wrong and foolish, or that they listened to, repeated, or followed people who were wrong.”

    But a lot of people who are right are willing to absolve a lot of people who are wrong, I’ve noticed. The flip side of “sheeple”.

  4. But fools, perhaps by definition, cannot take responsibility.

    volley…

  5. nihil obstet

    Does foolishness include learning from your own mistakes, but learning exactly the wrong thing?

  6. Bernard

    Experience comes from making mistakes, supposedly learning from them. lol.

  7. Lex

    Ignorance is not a passive noun. It’s root, ignore, is an active verb. Fools are ignorant, and ignorant involved both choice and action.

    A person doesn’t know because a person chooses not to know, and this is more true than ever in a world where information is at our fingertips and research can be as simple as Google.

  8. Formerly T-Bear

    @ Lex

    But… but… but… to research is to question, and questions are asked of authority, and authority is not to be questioned.

    Thus is the fertile grounds in-which ignorance grows; and war-crimes.

    Asking questions requires knowledge and assurance of the self, an alert mind, and curiosity of ones world. There are no known pills supplying these traits.

  9. someofparts

    Seems odd, but this is spot on relevant to me right now. Spent last week coming to terms with discovery that the old friend I rent from is an incredible fool according to exactly the standards you itemized above.

    As to expecting that fool, or any others, to take a shred of responsibility for themselves – that won’t happen. I plan to be far away when they start flailing around for someone to blame.

  10. @Formerly T-Bear:

    Asking questions requires knowledge and assurance of the self, an alert mind, and curiosity of ones world. There are no known pills supplying these traits.

    On that. /s

  11. Celsius 233

    Knowing when and how to listen…

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