Visions of an Educated Person.

“Ethics is closer to wisdom than reason”
Francisco Varela

Two monks were travelling together and came across a beautiful young woman standing by the side of a puddle. The woman was dressed in fine clothes and seemed hesitant to cross the puddle for fear of soiling her garments. Without hesitation, the senior monk approached the woman, lifted her up, and carried her across the puddle, placing her gently on the other side. The woman thanked the monk, and the two monks continued on their journey. 

Several hours later, the junior monk, unable to contain himself any longer, exclaimed loudly that the senior monk had violated the monastic code by touching a woman. The older monk replied, “I put the woman down hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?” 

The younger monk might have had a greater knowledge of the scriptures and even memorized more texts than the older monk. However, when confronted with a moral decision, he was powerless. The older monk's wisdom is distinct; he understands the monastic code so thoroughly that he knows when it's appropriate to transcend it. Words should serve our higher sensibilities; they should not bind us to their literality. Reality is too alive and too dynamic for dead words to capture it fully. Nevertheless, we love and rely on our words. Yet, if all human knowledge were wiped out, or if an alien species arrived and declared all our facts incorrect, how many of us could still consider ourselves educated? How many would assert that, even if all our specialized knowledge were proven wrong, we remain educated individuals? Plainly put, if you forgot how to speak and think in words, would you still be educated?

An Educated Person.

Formal education is a unique characteristic of our species, with almost every culture developing some form of schooling. Despite this universal adoption, the perennial question remains: what should we teach? And further, what does it mean to be truly educated? While proficiency in language, mathematics, and civic responsibilities is essential, education must impart something beyond disciplinary knowledge. Is there something, a capacity perhaps, that transcends the Word? In the Gospel of John, we read that in the beginning was the Word. In the Mandukya Upanishad of Hinduism, we read that the sound Om is the essence of existence. Words are certainly the beginning, but just as we leave a raft behind after crossing a river, we must also move beyond these tools as we seek deeper truths. The deeper truths cannot be written down, they are experiential capacities. Lao Tzu knew this when he wrote the opening lines to his Tao Te Ching.

“The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.” 

And yet, before we can seek the eternal Tao, we must explore the Tao that can be named.

Dimensions of Knowledge.

Benjamin Bloom first introduced his taxonomy of educational objectives in 1956. Since then, it has been revised and expanded into a comprehensive framework that encompasses various processes and dimensions of knowledge. The taxonomy is structured into four levels:

Factual knowledge consists of basic facts in a field. 
Conceptual knowledge involves understanding the relationships between these facts within a broader framework. 
Procedural knowledge is about mastering specific methods and techniques.
Metacognitive knowledge is awareness of one's cognitive processes.

These dimensions can be made clear using the example of a chef. 

Factual knowledge includes knowing the names of ingredients and cookware. Procedural knowledge covers mastering techniques like sautéing and baking. Conceptual knowledge involves understanding the interplay between techniques and ingredients, such as balancing flavours in a dish. Metacognitive knowledge involves self-awareness of one's abilities and strategies to address weaknesses, like setting timers for forgetfulness.

Only conceptual and metacognitive knowledge are transferable across disciplines. For example, understanding balance in cooking can be applied to personal training, as balancing muscular load is akin to balancing flavours. The nature of balance is the same across disciplines, but the content being balanced changes. In this case, from umami and saltiness to barbells and kettlebells.

Moving beyond knowledge.

To go beyond knowledge is to rise one level higher than even metacognitive knowledge. All of our knowledge is liable to change and, as such, we must find the ultimate transferable capacity, one that is maximally context-invariant. John Dewey, the educational giant, explained that to understand something is to see it in its relation to other things, to note how it operates or functions, what consequences follow from it, and what causes it. Seeing precedes understanding. To be educated is to see. Our most esteemed heroes are rarely praised for their intellect, but for their vision. While we certainly see with our eyes, we see more comprehensively with our minds. For instance, to convey comprehension in a conversation, we might say, "I see what you mean." When tasked with something, we often say, "I'll look into it." If someone's thinking fails to consider the future, we might label it as short-sighted. And when we aim to clarify something, we seek to shed light on it. And when we awaken from misery in a spiritual sense, we are referred to as enlightened.

Developing the Four Visions.

To be educated is to have the right view. To be educated is to be a visionary in the precise sense of seeing the world from multiple vantage points without being tethered to any one of them. The right view lies in the ability to perceive and interact with the world's richness while recognizing an underlying unity that connects all things.

It is to remain aware of the broader context of human existence, by heeding Kozan Ichikyo’s words:

"Empty-handed I entered the world 
Barefoot I leave it. 
My coming, my going.
Two simple happenings 
That got entangled."

While simultaneously, engaging with the plurality of the world with the vigour of Richard Feynman.

“The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination...a vast pattern - of which I am a part... What is the pattern, or the meaning, or the why? It does not do harm to the mystery to know a little about it”

What makes right view context-invariant and transferable? It is simply a way of modulating one’s awareness to wholly encompass any phenomena that arises.

The four inner visions are: oversight, insight, hindsight, and foresight.

These visionary skills provide mastery over fundamental aspects of existence: the relationship between causes and effects, and the relationship between parts and wholes. Regardless of the discipline at hand, it can be viewed in terms of these elements. All phenomena have causes, and are themselves causes for later effects. Moreover, all phenomena are wholes which consist of parts. As such, the Four Visions are not things, they are processes and ways of perceiving the aforementioned qualities.

Oversight and Insight enable us to grasp a situation, either by framing it holistically or by dissecting it analytically. Hindsight and Foresight allow us to transform reality, either by intervening in events through identifying causes or through anticipating future consequences. 

From Trees to Forests and from Saplings to Canopies.

Let’s explore these visionary capacities from the esoteric to the mundane.

In arborial matters, Insight lets you understand a tree's unique traits, while oversight helps you grasp the forest as a whole. Hindsight reveals the past events leading to a forest's current state, and foresight allows you to envision its potential futures and guide its growth. Or perhaps all of these capacities are applied to the tree itself, insight helping you grasp the tree’s cellular machinery and oversight enabling you to unify these processes under an overarching framework.

In spiritual matters, let’s look at awareness of bodily sensations, a technique often used in Buddhist meditation. Insight helps you notice specific feelings like throbbing or itching. Oversight shows you that all sensations are impermanent, fostering calm. Hindsight explores the causes of these sensations, such as an old injury or your posture. Foresight helps you predict future sensations based on current habits. 

In scholarly matters, let’s look at writing an essay. Insight is crucial for refining the details of your work, from choosing the right words to structuring sentences and paragraphs effectively. Oversight is about maintaining a broad perspective, ensuring that the essay as a whole stays true to its main themes and objectives. Hindsight allows you to reflect on the writing process, incorporating research and drawing on past experiences to improve your work. Foresight is about looking ahead, considering how the essay will be received and making sure it aligns with your overall goals.

Finally, as a matter of personal development, these visionary capacities are integral for growth. Insight enables you to zoom into your present situation - using hindsight and foresight to understand the details of how you arrived where you are and where you will go. Oversight enables you to view your past, present, and future as a whole - discovering unifying themes in your life and deciding whether you want old patterns to follow you into the future. 

The movement between these four capacities can be thought of as a sine wave. There is seldom a static visionary process, for the act of projecting forward with foresight, or looking back with hindsight, involves an oscillation between oversight and insight. 

In sum, educators wish to teach people how to live awakened and wondrous lives. We wish to show everyone how to contemplate existence in productive and joyful ways. To enable contemplation of any object, we must see that all things are both causes of effects and effects of other causes, and that all things are both parts of wholes and wholes unto themselves. Contemplating in this way leads to an adventure of lifelong learning and never-ending fascination with existence.

It is as it is.