In Praise of Learning

A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law and I got into a heated political discussion.  We both have strong opinions so it was not long before we deadlocked.  I was then asked if I ever changed my mind about anything.  Was I capable of learning?

Given that one of my greatest pleasures is learning, I found this surprising.  In any event, Howard asked for examples of where I had modified my beliefs.  I gave him two.  First, as I watched our president in action, I went from being never-Trump to pro-Trump.  Second, I only slowly realized the importance of ideological balance in contemporary America. 

(Heck, I moved from being a liberal to a conservative.)

In fact, I am constantly learning; constantly trying new things.  My father said you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but I turn out two original columns a week.  That, however, is just the beginning of what I do.

And so, I have just published an e-book based on my columns.  It is called “Forward-Looking Conservatism: A Renegade Sociologist Speaks Out.”  At the moment, I am struggling to convert this into a paperback on Amazon’s CreateSpace.  Talk about a learning curve.

I have also begun tweeting under my own name and launched weekly podcasts under the title “Renegade Sociologist.”  All of this is in conjunction with inaugurating a non-profit called “The Social Individualism Foundation.”  Its home page is going up and before long we will be on FaceBook.

Besides this, I continue to teach and read.  I am thus currently absorbed in a book on the origins of the Christian Gospels.  This, of course, will be followed by another book and another book, and then a spring trip to England.  Although I am in my seventies, I don’t stop.

Meanwhile, most of my students never read.  They do not come to our university for knowledge, but to obtain a credential that will enable them to get a good job.  Their goal is to sneak by with passing grades so as to graduate as painlessly as possible.  Explanations that they need to be lifelong learners, that is, if they hope to occupy leadership positions, leave them cold.

But this is also a larger social problem.  Our current political gridlock is due, in part, to a nation trapped by ideological intransigence.  Neither liberals, nor conservatives—but especially liberals—intend to alter their convictions in any way.  They are certain that they know everything they need to know.

A prime example is the recent brouhaha about the school shootings in Parkland Florida.  Before the smoke even lifted, liberals were lobbying for their favorite gun controls.  So far as they were concerned, the facts on the ground were irrelevant.

But conservatives should not be too smug.  Some want to revive old-fashioned religious beliefs; others demand an uncontrolled economy.  They fail realize that these are foundations upon which we should build; not endpoints frozen in time.

Indeed, my advocacy of forward-looking conservatism is predicated on the notion that we must make adjustments consonant with what we discover about our emerging mass techno-commercial society.  What worked in the past may not do so in the future if it is not appropriately modified.

And so my non-profit foundation will be sponsoring two ventures.  One is the e pluribus unum project.  It goal is to promote core values that help heal our social divisions.  A diverse and complex society, such as our own, cannot function if it is not based on interpersonal trust.

The second initiative is the voluntary intimacy project.  Contemporary marriages are in disarray, with half of our children born out of wedlock.  This is a tragedy that stems largely from a lack of understanding of how to make long-term commitments succeed.

As should be obvious, I am up to my eyebrows in learning.  No wonder that I want more Americans got off their computers and look around at the unprecedented world that we—together—are in the process of constructing.  After all, if we do not understand what is happening, we are unlikely to do a good job.

Change can be frightening.  What we do not comprehend is also scary.  But if we refuse exhibit the courage to learn what we do not know, we will be the poorer for it.  With our heads buried in the sand, unanticipated occurrences are bound to overwhelm us.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University