An Iterative Approach to Comprehension
The Story of Guided Journey and the Point of Arrival
The origins of comprehension color its meaning with a strong metaphor that words like learning and understanding don’t quite share. Its etymology the act of ‘grasping completely’. This reference provides an added sense of outcome and control that are unique to comprehension.
Many other terms used in the science and history of education have their own backstories. Pedagogy and the lesser used andragogy come from the Greek root ‘to guide’. These terms present learning as a journey. The early greek philosophers and were actually known for practicing their pedagogy while walking through the agora of ancient Greece. This culminated with Aristotle's followers actually being dubbed peripatetics which meant ‘given to walking around’.
Understanding does not harken back to such a powerful reference, but its origins from ‘to stand in the midst of‘ ’elude to a point of arrival. All of these terms and phrases paint a picture of the learning process. A journey with a point of arrival. A point where we fully grasp the object of our study. According to Aristotle, this is an iterative process.
Iterative Philosopher
Aristotle himself was the third iteration of the great Greek philosophers. He was the student of Plato, who himself was the pupil of Socrates. As such Aristotle would have been broadly exposed to both the Socratic Pedagogy and the Socratic Method. In fact, descriptions of his peripatetic disciples suggest that he himself believed strongly in iteration as a process for learning.
The debt of modern society to each iteration of philosopher is astounding but the development of their school of thought and its application is worth noting. The genius of Socrates was in philosophy and reason. He provided the early themes and concepts, passing them down through oral dialogues. Plato built upon his mentor by putting those dialogues in writing and developing more tactical models. Plato built academies, frameworks, and concepts in politics.
Aristotle continued this process by developing schools, tools, and manuals. His Organon, meaning ‘tools’, created the field of logic and began the science of analytics. There was one further direct iteration to follow, Alexander the Great. He did not disappoint. Taking his tools and a great appreciation of his teachers, Alexander set off to conquer the world.
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”
“I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.”
The story of the Greek Philosophers and Alexander the Great provide a tangible example of the comprehension process. Each man pursued an iterative approach to knowledge and learning. Each man built steadily on what had come before. Each man’s life was a journey.
In the end, it may have taken four generations but finally, Alexander with a great teacher as his guide completed his journey and stood in the midst of the greatest empire in history. The world completely within his grasp. Until the end, he credited knowledge and his teacher for his success.
Is True Comprehension Really Possible?
Did Alexander actually conquer the world? The known world? Is that really synonymous with comprehension? The answer is surely No. But the story of Alexander may be one of the most direct examples of the journey to achieve knowledge and the power it provides.
The internet attributes a final quote to Alexander. They are his supposed final words though little support is available to confirm this. Most likely Alexander never said them, but for the purposes of our journey and our comprehension, how great if he had:
Bury my body and don’t build any monument. Keep my hands out so the people know the one who won the world had nothing in hand when he died.
Good luck in your journey and thanks for reading!
Quintessentially is an article format created by Corsair’s Institute to increase the reader’s comprehension of key concepts in a quick and engaging fashion. For more articles from Iteration, Quintessentially — click here.
For more information about the author see his profile on LinkedIN — George Earl
