What does it mean to "learn"? How do you know if you've "learned" something? And just because you've "learned" something, can you do it?
Here's the thing: When I watch TV, I always opt for History, National Geographic, Discovery, or Science channel - because I'm a real nerd like that. And when my boyfriend asks what I'm doing, I'll say I'm learning. Because when I watch these shows, I'm learning about volcanoes or synesthesia or butterflies or whatever. But just because I've watched a really interesting program, I am not now a geologist, psychologist, or botanist. I can't do anything with that new knowledge except win trivia challenges.
...So have I really not learned anything?
When I take a class and learn a new skill that is useful and applicable, I have no trouble saying "I learned this skill". I can also look back on times in my life (hello! first job!) and say, "I learned a lot". But if you said, what did you learn and how did you learn it? I'm a little stuck. Think about your own experiences. At what point can you really, truly say "I learned X."?
I really grapple with this word, "learn". I hate it because it's ambiguous and vague. It doesn't tell the whole story.
So I ask you, readers, if there are any of you out there: what does it mean? How do you KNOW if you have learned something? What does it mean to learn something?
