Labor Lost?

Delving more closely into the nature of learning, we find that learning is more than just the gathering of information. Confucius discusses the relation of learning (hsüeh) and thought (ssu).

"The Master said, 'Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous'" (Analects II:15).

The relation of learning and thought is critical to Confucius. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge. Thought is the capacity to reason, understand, synthesize and ultimately apply the knowledge acquired.

The passage suggests that knowledge for knowledge's sake is "labor lost" and any attempt to understand without adequate knowledge is counterproductive and even dangerous!

Knowledge without thought is perilous indeed. My, my, are we not at the heart of much of today's problem?

From Rodney Taylor, Professor of Religious Studies at the U of Colorado