Learning and Civilizations
Final Learning Project
Honors History 202
MWF 9:00-9:50 am
Professor Lisa Halverson
4-15-13
A civilization begins when a collection of people decide to group together for various reasons such as safety or familial and friendship bonds. This civilization then needs to progress and in order for that to happen and for the civilization to be successful, learning must occur. Learning can be defined as an active, personal process by which one attains new knowledge and intelligence through different experiences. This knowledge can be gained by learning from past events or through current endeavors. One of the most important aspects of learning is its utility and applicability. This leads to learning having value in our lives and societies. Learning can be the result of failure as long as there is a benefit to the failure and it is used as a stepping stone for improvement. A civilization needs learning in order to progress, so I have included several artifacts that exemplify this definition of learning and will help explain learning to my civilization. The order of my artifacts demonstrates how my civilization will come to learn about learning. First, they will learn that all types of learning are important. They will also learn about how important the past is and the role that it plays in present learning. Next, they will learn about the hard work and dedication it takes to achieve learning and the personal aspect it entails. Finally, they will learn to overcome failures, break away from the norm if necessary, and about the completeness and lifelong process that is learning. These artifacts should exemplify and teach my civilization about my definition of learning.
Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook was the collection of all of the ingenious inventions and ideas of Leonardo da Vinci. He lived from 1452 to 1519 and wrote in it his whole life. He is from Vinci, which was just outside of Florence, Italy. This artifact represents the aspect of learning about all kinds of subjects. It is important to realize that a well-rounded knowledge is very valuable. This notebook is full of math, science, art, technology, and philosophy. Leonardo da Vinci embodies the Renaissance man and a complete education. My civilization should know that learning in just one area will not be as beneficial as in all areas.
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787 primarily by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. This artifact is a good representation of the learning of a society based on past experiences. America fought long and hard for its right to sovereignty and after the failed Articles of Confederation stumbled upon a form of government with a Constitution. This was the result of trial-and-error and the minds of some of the most brilliant men of our nation. They were able to build off of the failure that was the Articles of Confederation and improve to make one of the most successful governments of all time. I would also like my civilization to model their government off of the democracy in America.
Raphael, of Urbino, Italy, painted “The School of Athens” in 1508 as a fresco. This artifact demonstrates the learning of our past intellectuals and a well-rounded knowledge. Raphael painted in the great ancient Greek thinkers, mathematicians, theologians, and scholars. This shows the respect he has for the past and that he values their contributions to the scholastic world. I would want my civilization to have that same respect for those that have gone before them and to learn from them.
The “Pieta” was created from 1498 to 1499 in Italy by the greatest sculptor to ever live, Michelangelo. He made this sculpture out of marble, much like the rest of his many sculptures. Michelangelo practiced sculpture since he was just a lad and he worked hard at it. He had a natural ability for it, but there was a time when he still had to be instructed by those that were his superiors, for however small a window that was. He had to practice and work in order to learn to be proficient in sculpture. This learning that he experienced was incredibly valuable to him because his occupation was as an artist. This learning benefited him for the rest of his life because it gave him job security and nice profits. Learning is supposed to be beneficial to those that exhibit it.
Rene Descartes was a Frenchman who wrote a paper entitled “Discourse on Method” in 1637. This was a paper that demonstrated how Descartes came to find truth in his life. This paper describes the methods that he used to learn about himself and his surroundings. This artifact coincides with the definition of learning because it really is a personal process. Nobody else can learn for one person and it is all up to that person if, when, and how they learn. The people of my civilization will learn that it is up to each individual to take learning into their own hands and that the responsibility is on their shoulders to seek out learning opportunities.
Jonathan Swift, an Englishman living in Ireland, wrote a scathing satire called “A Modest Proposal” in 1729 on paper. Swift makes the case that eating babies would be a social and economic benefit to society, however he does not mean it in reality. The true purpose of this document is to criticize the English for the poverty of Ireland. By saying that selling and eating their children would be an improvement to their current society, Swift is really commenting on the poor quality of life in Ireland. Jonathan Swift is implementing his talents in order to attempt to benefit the Irish. This document demonstrates learning because it is creative, well-written, and serves a purpose of helping a society. My civilization would have to know that learning is meant to be useful and helpful to society as a whole.
In 1446, Brunelleschi began construction of the great Florence Cathedral Dome in Italy. The dome was constructed of wood and brick. Brunelleschi suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of Ghiberti for the honor of crafting the “Gates of Paradise” in 1400. Instead of giving up after this failure and retreating into despair, Brunelleschi looked at it as an opportunity for improvement. There was another competition to see who would get to build this dome and Brunelleschi went to work. This artifact demonstrates learning because Brunelleschi studied architecture and clock-making rigorously and was able to learn enough to come up with a solution and win the contest. Civilizations that give up at the first roadblock are not successful in the least and will not make any lasting impact. They need to know how to persevere and work through any problems they might encounter in order to persist and proliferate as a civilization.
In 1517, a German monk by the name of Martin Luther wrote a paper titled “95 Theses”. He was fed up with all of the rules and strange practices, such as indulgences, of the Catholic church and decided to take his religious practice into his own hands. He wrote his findings and beliefs into this list of 95 and nailed it on the door of the Catholic church for all to read. This artifact exemplifies learning because Luther was able to personally study the scriptures and find out what they meant to him. He then used this newfound knowledge to help others and basically founded the Protestant church. This has helped countless numbers of people find and accept religion into their lives and has been an improvement to society. I would hope that my civilization could demonstrate learning by being able to be unique and helpful in this manner.
Albrecht Dürer, a German artist, created a “Sketch of Hands” in 1508 out of pen, ink, and paper. Albrecht won a coin toss that sent him to an artist’s academy, while his brother that lost the bet had to support him in the mines. After Albrecht had become famous and established, it was his turn to support his brother. However, when Albrecht returned he found his brother’s “bruised and broken hands which were so damaged from working in the mine that he could hardly hold his mining tools, let alone the tools of an artist”(“Strong and Davis”, p. 99). Albrecht then created this piece to immortalize his brother’s sacrifice. This artifact shows learning because Albrecht worked hard in school and practiced to become a great painter. It also shows the principle of sacrifice. My civilization should learn that sometimes sacrifice is necessary in order to provide for a greater good. In this case, Albrecht’s brother sacrificed so that Albrecht could go on to learn his art.
Augustine Rodin sculpted “The Thinker” in 1880-1881 from bronze and marble. According to Strong and Davis, Rodin was “the greatest sculptor of the nineteenth century,” and “his works were classical in concept but impressionistic in execution”(p. 675). Rodin began this piece to be a representation of Dante from “The Divine Comedy” but it eventually evolved to mean much more. It now represents all poets, thinkers, and creators. Rodin demonstrated learning by gaining knowledge from literature much before his time and integrating that into a project that he was working on. He applied his knowledge into his sculpture. However, he was willing to let it grow into something much more than perhaps he imagined it. I would show my civilization this last because it sends the message of always being engaged in thinking and learning. It is a never-ending process and one should be constantly thinking about and looking for new opportunities to learn.
I think that I am able to identify and apply my definition of learning into my own life. After I was forced to define learning in this project, I tried to use example from my personal experiences. Learning is happening in many aspects of my life, considering that I am enrolled at a university. The most obvious example of learning is that I am learning in each of my classes this semester. I am accumulating knowledge in a variety of subjects and I am able to apply that knowledge in some instances. For example, I am taking an anatomy course and we just learned all of the bones and muscles in the body. I am also learning about gospel principles that are exceedingly applicable in my life. I believe that the active, personal, and relevant aspects of learning are alive in my life. I think that modern-day civilization could be improved if it would adopt my definition of learning. It emphasizes utility and enhancement to society. Each individual would learn more efficiently and be able to contribute more, making for a a greatly augmented society. Again, learning can be defined as an active, personal process by which one attains new knowledge and intelligence through different experiences. One of the most important aspects of learning is its utility and applicability. This enables learning to be valuable and useful to all of those that seek to obtain it. Learning is an integral part in individual and community life and becoming more familiar with it can only help to refine those individuals and civilizations.
Works Consulted
“A Modest Proposal” - http://deandegroot.blogspot.com/2012/02/rhetorical- analysisswift.html
“Constitution” - http://www.icivics.org/teachers/lesson-plans/constitution-day
“Discourse on Method” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_the_Method
“Florence Dome” - http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/ Montages/Firenze/Florence%20Skylines.htm
“Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci” - http://www.sacred-texts.com/aor/dv/
“Pieta” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietà_(Michelangelo)
“School of Athens” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Athens
“Sketch of Hands” - http://barrelrider.wordpress.com/tag/art/
Strong, Brent, and Mark Davis. History of Creativity in the Arts, Science, & Technology. 2nd. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2011. Print.
“The Thinker” - http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/about/thinker
“95 Theses” - http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/10/31
