Learning shouldn't be a transaction, but an experience

Learning is very precious to me

During an interview, when I tell the person that I strive to bring a paradigm shift in learning, they ask me some detailed questions that help sharpen my vision. Here is how I rethink the questions after the interview.

What do changes mean to me?

I want to redefine why we learn. So far, most of us associate learning with assignments, grades, job searches, and promotions. Society views learning as a means to an end (survival, reputation, success, obligation). I think that's completely wrong. Learning is an experience worth pursuing, much like the way people go to an amusement park just for the experience.

However, most people pursue learning as a transaction, not an experience. To learn is to show that you are educated and smart. To learn is to secure the next job opportunity. To learn is to pass the next exam and meet the expectations of our parents. Learning should be valued as an experience, not a transaction, and the world is filled with violations of this principle.

When I witness the violation of this principle, I don't see it as an opportunity. I don't say, "Interesting, let's gamify the product so that people will be willing to learn for five more minutes. Let's build a new product to boost learning efficiency." Learning is very precious to me. I'm not excited about creating smarter and faster humans. I'm not interested in encouraging people to learn more or for longer durations. I'm here to unleash that innate desire to learn.

When I see the dying of the internal desire to learn, it hurts. It's the death of another pair of sparkling eyes. I see a tragedy. The joy of learning should be a universal human right that everyone has access to. Learning is very precious to me.

What would the paradigm shift look like?

When I was in my first year of Minerva studies, I was puzzled by an optional math question. I opened the door of my classmate's dorm and asked her if she could explain it to me. She said, “Yes! I’m interested to know too. Let’s think about it step by step.” And then, as we finished working through it on paper, she held it in front of her face and showed it to me. She stood before me, with sunlight filling the room, and she beamed with joy. “Math is very beautiful,” she said. That’s the most beautiful moment I’ve seen in my life. The world should look like this.

Growing up in classrooms filled with mathphobia and hatred, was like living in 1984; you were not allowed to say you loved math. But she was the first person who shattered my perception because I was finally allowed to think and say that math is very beautiful. We should be able to appreciate the beauty of knowledge & wisdom as it is, not for any negative social perception or utility. I imagine a society that allows genuine love and appreciation of learning for all curious beings to finally feel free.

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Inspired by Bret Victor - Inventing on Principle