Introduction

 Many of us have different ideas about what learning exactly is and what it includes. Many say that you can only learn from doing certain things like going to school or doing research. But I believe that we are learning every minute of our lives. I define learning as simply as receiving information that can be applied. There are many different ways to learn and I believe that we are always using at least one of these ways. Though, I do believe that there are some ways of learning that will either give you more information or more valuable information that other ways of learning cannot do. We have realized this and can see the results of this through the important items that were created throughout history. Let’s go back in time and see what we have learned by evaluating some of the items from the past 200 years or so.

The Printing Press: Learning to Make a Difference

Printing Press

Invented in the early 1450s

In Italy

By Johannes Gutenberg

Medium: Metal and Ink

           I will start in the early 1450s with the Printing Press invented in Italy by Johannes Gutenberg. This was a time of wealth for Italy and the people wanted this to continue. To do that, they wanted to be able to teach their children to conduct businesses and to read other educational literature. This inspired Johannes Gutenberg to invent the Printing Press so that textbooks could be made and distributed to those that wanted to educate themselves. However, this not only was used for textbooks but later for all sorts of literary works.

           Johannes Gutenberg and his invention shows the characteristic of learning of recognizing what would make a big difference in society by observing and also learning how to accomplish it. Not only that, this invention helped start the Renaissance and encouraged the distribution of many books with different types of information which resulted in a lot of learning in Italy and around the world.

The Prince: Learning what is Right and what is Wrong

The Prince

Written in 1513

In Italy

By Machiavelli

Medium: Paper

           The Prince, written by Niccoló Machiavelli, was one of those books printed by the Printing Press. Though, this book has something about learning that it can illustrate as well. Machiavelli wrote this during a time of governmental stress to share his knowledge on how a Prince (and, along with that, the government) should act and what they should do.

           Even though I don’t agree with everything that The Prince said about how a government should be ruled, it was a step forward in solving the government problem. This is a different type of learning where Machiavelli realizes that something is wrong and needs to be fixed and learns better how to do that.

95 Theses: Standing up for what you Learn to be True

95 Theses

Written in 1517

In Germany

By Martin Luther

Medium: Paper

           Another example of this same type of learning is the 95 Theses by Martin Luther, though this example, in my opinion, does a better job of showing a different characteristic of learning. Luther realized that something was wrong with what the church was teaching at the time, mainly indulgences (which is paying money to forgive sin). He writes the 95 Theses to argue that it was wrong and posted it on the door of the chapel of Wittenburg University. But by doing so, he kindled the wrath of the church and he was eventually excommunicated from the Church and could have been executed for what he had published. But he stuck with what he had learned and what he believed was right.

           Like I said before, this demonstrates the same type of learning that The Prince demonstrated of realizing that something is wrong and working to fix it. But this also demonstrates very well the characteristic of learning to sticking up for what you have learned to be true, sticking up for your morals. If you are too afraid to apply what you have learned, it doesn't really matter that you learned it at all.

The Globe Theatre: Teaching what you Learn

The Globe Theatre

Built in 1599

In London, England

Medium: Construction Materials (Wood, Stone, etc.)

           The expression of moral ideas can play a big part in learning, as shown by the 95 Theses. William Shakespeare also knew this when he wrote his plays which are full of making right decisions and holding to your standards. And to further express these moral ideas, Shakespeare used the Globe Theatre to teach others about these morals, along with giving them a great show. Many great plays were done in this theatre and, along with that, many great lessons to be learned from each play. William Shakespeare and his Globe Theatre show us that teaching others what you have learned is another great way to apply learning. 

The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy: The Importance of Writing Down what you Learn

The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

Published in 1687

In England

By Isaac Newton

Medium: Paper

           From the Globe Theatre we learn that teaching is a great way to help others learn, but, as humans, we often forget what we have been taught. However, Isaac Newton, along with many other great thinkers of the world, showed us a way of how to remember this. And he shows this characteristic during a period of time known as the Scientific Awakening. During this time, there were many great scientific discoveries made and many books filled with the scientific knowledge of this age. One specific book, written by Isaac Newton, is called The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. It describes the laws of motion, acceleration, force, and other things. This book has helped many mathematicians along with many others in different fields of study to better understand their own work.

           The characteristic of learning that I want to point out here is the importance of writing down what you learn. Our memory isn't perfect. We will forget things if we don’t either apply it constantly or just write it down. And I am sure that many people in this world are grateful for everything that Isaac Newton wrote down.

The Declaration of Independence: Learning from the Learned

The Declaration of Independence

Written in 1776

In the United States of America

By Thomas Jefferson (and edited by Benjamin Franklin)

Medium: Paper

          John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau, great philosophical thinkers of the 15^thand 16^th centuries, made great contributions to society when they wrote down their ideas about how a government should function. They showed the same characteristics of learning as Isaac Newton did with his Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Though, another great characteristic comes from the other end of this principle: the ability of effectively taking away information from what was already written. And Thomas Jefferson nailed it when he wrote The Declaration of Independence. Using what was already written by Locke and Rousseau, he created the document that Americans would revere for generations. His ability to do that affected our ability to be independent and have the freedoms that we enjoy today. We must also learn to be open-minded to what has written before and apply it in our lives.

The Spinning Jenny: Learning from your Mistakes

Spinning Jenny

Invented in 1767

In the United States of America

By James Hargreaves

Medium: Wood

I've talked about receiving information from reasoning, from your conscience, and from what others have written. But there is another valuable but unexpected source from where you can receive information. And this is shown during the Industrial Revolution.

During the Industrial Revolution, textile manufacturing sky rocketed. This was because of the many inventions that enhanced the speed and effectively of the making of textiles. One of these inventions was the Spinning Jenny. It was impressive (during this time) because it could spin more than one thread at a time. Though, that isn't what I want to focus on. What I want to focus on is how this invention came about. James Hargreaves had the inspiration for this invention when his daughter, Jenny, accidently knocked over the spinning wheel. As he saw it spinning on the floor, he thought that maybe it could be improved to spin multiple threads. This is when he came up with the Spinning Jenny.

There is a lot of wisdom from learning from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. One of the main ways that we can learn what works is by learning what doesn't work. One who disregards his or her mistakes is truly disregarding a great learning opportunity.

Spinning Mill: Learning to use your Resources

Spinning Mill

Invented in the late 1700s

In the United States of America

By Richard Arkwright

Medium: Wood

              Not too long after the invention of the Spinning Jenny, the Spinning Mill was created. This Spinning Mill could make multiple spinning machines work at once. Though, when it was first created, they couldn't find a way to get enough power to make it work. But then Richard Arkwright had the idea to use a water wheel. The water wheel was able to provide the power needed to run the spinning mill, resulting in a huge increase in the textile industry.

              This is a great insight into learning because Richard Arkwright used his surroundings to solve his problems. He found where energy could be extracted and used it to his advantage. We can’t expect that what we can learn from will always be obvious. We must look around us and think outside the box to learn from a large variety of sources.

The Louisiana Purchase: The Potential to Learn

Louisiana Purchase

Purchased in 1803

On the North American Continent

By President Monroe

Medium: Land and Money

           Along with thinking outside the box, you need room 'outside' to facilitate learning. And this is shown by the idea behind the Louisiana Purchase.
           Ever since the formation of the United States of America, the nation wanted to expand. At the beginning of the 1800s, President Monroe had his eye on purchasing a large piece of land west of the current United States. Even though it was a costly purchase, Monroe was able to see the potential that this purchase could create for the nation. And that is my next characteristic that I wish to talk about: potential. It’s great to learn about the benefits of temporary actions, but it is even better to know the potential and future benefits that can come. Learning that eternity is more important than temporary is a great piece of knowledge to have. 

Pragmatic Sanction: Avoiding Learning Restrictions

Pragmatic Sanction

Decreed in 1713

In Austria

By Charles VI

Medium: Paper

            From the Louisiana Purchase, I pointed out that one can have all sorts of potential to learn if he or she makes room for it. But often we don’t.

            In the early 1700s, Charles VI realized that he wasn't going to have a son to succeed him after he died and the current law restricted him to allow his daughter, Maria Theresa, to rule. To remedy this, he made an executive decision (as King) and decreed that women would be allowed to succeed to the throne. This decree was known as the Pragmatic Sanction. After Charles VI passed away, Maria Theresa took over and become known as one of the most successful rulers in history.

            I bring this up to prove a point: before the Pragmatic Sanction no one thought that women would be good at ruling. This idea restricted their ability to learn how good women could be in a governing position. We often make restrictions like this on our learning. It could be a gender restriction, a racial restriction, or many other restrictions where we believe that one group of people is better at something than another. We need to keep an open mind and let everyone have an equal chance.

Man's Search for Meaning: Learning cannot be stopped

Man’s Search for Meaning

Written in 1946

In Austria

By Viktor Frankl

Medium: Paper

                Along with the Pragmatic Sanction and other similar documents, there is another thing that can set us free to learn or, if used incorrectly, can stop our learning. And it is displayed very well during WWII by a man named Viktor E. Frankl.

                War is brutal. But when there is great opposition, great learning can be accomplished. This is what Viktor Frankl discovered while in the concentration camps during World War 2. While there, he observed prisoners within the camps that, even under horrible conditions, they were determined not to let this get them down. They had learned that what happens around them does not have to have a negative effect on them, that they were still in control of how they felt and what attitude they had. This is a great example of learning because it shows that the only person that can stop you from learning is yourself and no one else. You are in control and that cannot be taken away. You have your own agency.

Conclusion

           We can learn in so many different ways and from so many different sources. I am grateful for the examples of learning that we have from the past and the great influence that they can have in our lives. And we can create similar items if we learn how to learn. We live in a world where there is so much to learn and there is so much we can do with what we learn. We may not become as famous as some of these authors and inventors but if we understand the basic principles of learning, there will be nothing to stop us from making a big impact on the world.

Work Cited

The Gutenberg Press. Digital image. Web. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBv0bungoSCrNOY2JeJ63i8GgFUPXPKYUjxHqFlz6c0fvDKGg06uCQ_pvQRDVUrrtvdtFkcaCRsZeYcmkaODRBkxDyqeIixz_uNmplRBBC4fNFNARCMozcQrpmlEMSyR70XLGlYzoc5yeE/s1600/gutenbergpress.jpg>.

The Prince. Digital image. Web.
<http://dudye.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/The-Prince.jpg>

Luther Nailing Theses. Digital image. Web.
<http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/files/2010/10/Luther-nailing-theses-560x538.jpg>

The Globe Theatre. Digital image. Web.
<http://salempress.com/store/images/editorial/globe.jpg>

Principia. Digital image. Web.
<http://johnjburnslibrary.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/principiaimage2.jpg>

The Declaration of Independence. Digital image. Web.
<http://www.founding.com/repository/imgLib/20071018_declaration.jpg>

The Spinning Jenny. Digital image. Web.
<http://fromoldbooks.org/r/12/109-Spinning-Jenny-q75-500x296.jpg>

The Cotton Mill. Digital image. Web.
<http://needled.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/cottonmill.jpg>

Louisiana Purchase. Digital image. Web.
<http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/70/89970-004-331CFE4D.gif>


Pragmatic Sanction. Digital image. Web.
<http://www.xtimeline.com/__UserPic_Large/72301/evt101021150700288.jpg>

Man's Search for Meaning. Digital image. Web.
<http://pagehanify.com/7criteria/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Mans-Search-For-Meaning1.jpg>