There are certain individuals that can learn through the experiences of others but there are other individuals that need to experience for themselves in order to learn a particular lesson. What are your thoughts about the following statement?
Experience is the worst kind of teacher, they give you the test before the lesson.
I totally disagree with the statement, which is like syaing to a hungry lion, "here, sniff my arm. Doesn't my cologne smell nice?"
Experiences are the basic building block of knowledge, from the time of infancy to the day you die. Experiences open doors to new realms of understanding. More experiences offer greater understanding. Experiences allow you to ask relevant questions of the things that have, and will, effect you.
Without that base, everything is mere speculation; The difference between a philosopher and a dreamer.
Philosopher, I agree with your points. Maybe the quote is speaking about negative experiences? And even if so, I think all type of experiences are for our benefit. But are all experiences necessary? Sometimes it seems that in life we go through experiences we should not have to go through because of poor choices. There are some type of experiences that you have no control over (the death of a loved one, etc) but what about the experiences we bring to our selves? Are they necessary?
I have to agree with the statement. How many time did your parents say "your going to learn it the hard way" or something to that effect?
Being the eldest brother I have told and encouraged and action from my brothers saying I have been there and done that, trust me you don't want the t-shirt. I would say seven out of ten times they learned the same lesson the hard way as I did.
Experience has a way of teaching us that maybe we should have listened to our parents. It is the act of us being stubborn and our kids being the same way that they have to learn the lesson the same way we did. Experience does not have to be a harsh lesson but it has to be a lesson none the less. If it is a test then it is a test most of us will have to take.
How experience changes basics of memory formation. We know instinctively that our experiences shape the way we learn. If we are highly familiar with a particular task, like cooking for example, learning a new recipe is much easier than it was when we were a novice. New research shows that experience also changes the way our neurons become plastic and form new memories. Source 2z.