Learning is a function of need

Children ask questions and chew on pieces of wood because they are awed. They need to grab hold of the immensity of life. They have to learn. Why is the sun bright? Why are trees so tall? Why do people live in houses? The subject matter could be anything. To a child, everything is striking. Everything is new. As an adult, it is useful to contemplate children’s questions: they point at the things we take for granted. As children get older, however, they come to believe that learning involves facts, that it occurs in a classroom, and that is realized only as a result of a long and determined effort. They cease to ask question. Learning becomes difficult. It is removed from everyday life. This is the main philosophical difference between adults and children: Children need to ask and explore to survive; adults believe they have already done it.