Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Education often fails by piling up useless facts instead of fostering understanding or critical thought.
- In plain terms
- Schools teach too many facts that students don't really understand or use.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on understanding rather than memorizing inert facts.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do I value in learning?
- Is my knowledge inert?
Another view
Some facts must be memorized before higher understanding can occur.
More from Henry Adams
Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.
Permalink to quote #24 Power when wielded by abnormal energy is the most serious of facts.
Permalink to quote #26 Morality is a private and costly luxury.
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