Phaedrus's Wisdom
The real University, he said, has no specific location. It owns no property, pays no salaries, and receives no material dues. The real University is a state of mind.
This is a quote from Robert M. Persig's book, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." The Narrator reveals to the reader how Phaedrus, a former teacher, feels about education. Throughout the book, the Narrator presents gives his and Phaedrus's thoughts on education, motorcycle maintenance, and zen. It's an intriguing book. Even more intriguing is how Phaedrus embodies the discerning aspect of wisdom.
In my previous blog, I discussed Caroline Basset's article on wisdom. She puts forth the idea that wisdom can be divided into different dimensions. Discerning is one of them. The chief characteristic of discerning is objectivity, meaning the ability to look at a situation from the outside. Someone who has this ability will ask questions like "What's really going on?" or "What's true, important, and right?" They will understand patterns and relationships, and be able to look at complex things in a systemic way.
By all these standards, Phaedrus proves himself to be a very discerning person. In his job as a teacher, he finds himself connecting with the students who are flunking. He asks himself why he feels this way. In the end, he realizes that his failing students "were contemptuous because they didn't understand it. He was contemptuous because he did." (p. 190) He uses his discernment to answer his own question of why he has this kinship with the flunking students.
A better example of Phaedrus's discernment is his Church of Reason lecture. He prepares this lecture in an attempt to explain to his students what the real University is. He tells them that in the same way that a real church is not simply a place where people go on Sundays, so also the university is not just a group of buildings where people come and learn. "The real University is nothing less than the continuing body of reason itself." (p.186) It is an inspiring statement. Phaedrus has discerned that that's what education should be about: preserving the body of reason.
Although Phaedrus doesn't ask the questions Basset listed word for word, it's obvious that he asked a lot of them before reaching his conclusion about the real University. He shows his wisdom not only in his discernment of the situations, but also in his willingness to ask questions. He is on his way to developing more wisdom.
This is a quote from Robert M. Persig's book, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." The Narrator reveals to the reader how Phaedrus, a former teacher, feels about education. Throughout the book, the Narrator presents gives his and Phaedrus's thoughts on education, motorcycle maintenance, and zen. It's an intriguing book. Even more intriguing is how Phaedrus embodies the discerning aspect of wisdom.
In my previous blog, I discussed Caroline Basset's article on wisdom. She puts forth the idea that wisdom can be divided into different dimensions. Discerning is one of them. The chief characteristic of discerning is objectivity, meaning the ability to look at a situation from the outside. Someone who has this ability will ask questions like "What's really going on?" or "What's true, important, and right?" They will understand patterns and relationships, and be able to look at complex things in a systemic way.
By all these standards, Phaedrus proves himself to be a very discerning person. In his job as a teacher, he finds himself connecting with the students who are flunking. He asks himself why he feels this way. In the end, he realizes that his failing students "were contemptuous because they didn't understand it. He was contemptuous because he did." (p. 190) He uses his discernment to answer his own question of why he has this kinship with the flunking students.
A better example of Phaedrus's discernment is his Church of Reason lecture. He prepares this lecture in an attempt to explain to his students what the real University is. He tells them that in the same way that a real church is not simply a place where people go on Sundays, so also the university is not just a group of buildings where people come and learn. "The real University is nothing less than the continuing body of reason itself." (p.186) It is an inspiring statement. Phaedrus has discerned that that's what education should be about: preserving the body of reason.
Although Phaedrus doesn't ask the questions Basset listed word for word, it's obvious that he asked a lot of them before reaching his conclusion about the real University. He shows his wisdom not only in his discernment of the situations, but also in his willingness to ask questions. He is on his way to developing more wisdom.
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