Learning: An evolutionary analysis

Abstract

This paper draws on the philosophy of Karl Popper to present a descriptive evolutionary epistemology that offers philosophical solutions to the following related problems: 'What happens when learning takes place?' and 'What happens in human learning?' It provides a detailed analysis of how learning takes place without any direct transfer of information from the environment to the learner, and it significantly extends the author's earlier published work on this topic. She proposes that learning should be construed as a special case of 'problem solving' and as a fundamentally critical and creative process in which learning organisms develop 'expectations' that are not purely an outcome of genetic inheritance or random mutation. Human learning is then characterised with reference to: objectified knowledge; descriptive and argumentative language; theoretical problems; the search for error and specific limitation. If the author's evolutionary analysis of learning is valid, it would suggest that we should, if we wish to promote learning, be wary of corralling children and older students in environments that inhibit autonomous activity, that discourage criticality and creativity and generally limit opportunities for trial and error-elimination. But education institutions, particularly those for older children and adolescents, are very often environments of this constraining kind. Traditionally, educationists have vastly underestimated the human potential for imaginative criticism-because in general they have not recognised the extent to which it lies at the heart of what humans, including the youngest children, do in order to succeed at even the most basic tasks.

Questioning clerkship: applying Popper’s evolutionary analysis of learning to medical student training

“…Since Popper's theory of learning views learning as a process of eliminating errors contained within one's theories, it asserts that no transference of knowledge or knowledge elements occur between a person and his or her environment (Chitpin, 2013). A common objection to the idea that learning does not entail a transference of knowledge stems from the assumption that all aspects of learning that involve activity on the part of the learner are conscious (Swann, 2009). For example, in the exchange above, Sam believes that learning is taking place through both the transfer of his experiences to Lisa and through her absorption of informational elements from the physical environment of the hospital.…”

“…For example, in the exchange above, Sam believes that learning is taking place through both the transfer of his experiences to Lisa and through her absorption of informational elements from the physical environment of the hospital. However, there is considerable empirical evidence that contradicts this assumption (Swann, 2009). Studies in the field of consciousness suggest that we are conscious of only a relatively small portion of the learning process (Ariely, 2008;Heath and Heath, 2013).…”

“…Popper's evolutionary analysis of learning applied to clerkship Discussions around learning often assume that some learning takes place outside of the learner, through the receipt of information from another person or the environment. This view is based on a century-old philosophical notion that informational elements act as building blocks of learning, which are absorbed from the environment through the senses and accumulate in a person's mind as sense data (Swann, 2009). In order to illustrate how Popper's approach differs from such a conception of learning, we examine the exchange between a preceptor (Sam) and a medical student (Lisa).…”

Making just tenure and promotion decisions using the objective knowledge growth framework

“…The tentative theory may be better or worse than the other tentative thories. "Better" or "worse" in this context are judged based as to whether the theory has solved the problem and the additional consequences ensue (Swann, 2009). If the theory is inadequate in resolving the problem, error elimination (EEn) is employed in order to either refine the problem identification or refine the tentative theory.…”

“…If it is not sufficiently precise, the process is mere soothsaying (Chitpin, 2013;Swann, 2009). The prediction needs also to be bold in the sense that it is not overly consistent with prior expectation(s).…”