Autodidactism: The joy of lifelong learning

Autodidactism is defined by Wikipedia as “Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools).(Italics my own)”

Thus ‘being’ an autodidact involves learning in a solitary fashion. Although being an autodidact is usually accomplished by the means of at least a few resources separate from the innate mental capabilities of the individual.

I’ve long considered myself an autodidact, but considering that I use a variety of online services, free lectures and the like, my autodidactism manifests itself differently from the definitions above.

Rather I suppose it is the learning away from a formal setting such as a school, college or university, which renders the autodidact different from others.

Many people can be considered autodidacts, even if at times they have blurred the lines, mixing self-study and more formal study.

In the world of literature, Sherlock Holmes comes to mind, his love of puzzles and learning can be summed up in the following quote: “I found the ash of a cigar, which my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enabled me to pronounce as an Indian cigar. I have, as you know, devoted some attention to this, and written a little monograph on the ashes of 140 different varieties of pipe, cigar, and cigarette tobacco.”

Certainly Holmes illustrates the autodidact par excellence when it comes to learning. Holmes represents to any who read the stories, a highly motivated, obsessive character who in the process of turning detection into an exacting and scientific field, carries his abilities into the realms of higher art. A concept Holmes would have abhorred, as Watson finds out all too often when he romanticises Holmes’ accomplishments.

We also learn that Holmes undergoes his studies purely as a means to an end. And that is generally applauded by one and all. But there is a creature who performs and becomes an autodidact for no other reason than recreation. As a creature of the second sort, it has often been a case for great misery that people often scoff at the eclectic fields I involve myself in. Too many people ask the question ‘why?’ when it comes to learning instead of asking the superior ‘why not?’

As a person with Asperger’s, I don’t always have the luxury of tuning out topics that seize my interest. I don’t have the capability to ignore the fact that I don’t know when Henry VIII was born (28th June 1491). The knowledge that I don’t know something causes a tremendous amount of angst and thus I work day and night probing my ignorance. As someone with Asperger’s (this may not be uniformly applicable to all people with Asperger’s) I have an insatiable taste for learning and being an autodidact.

At least four people I know (the number may be much higher, but I’m not the most sociable type) have commented on the number of books I own and ask “Do you have that many books to look intelligent?” I guess looking stupid is far more preferable than the ignominy of trying to appear clever. I’ve digressed (Asperger’s again, or my thoughts are too much like buckshot) the point is that I would like to encourage anyone who knows someone who likes learning for its own sake, to encourage rather than condemn.

Dragging myself back to some sort of main point, is that learning is a lifelong process — one that lasts and indeed should last longer than formal education. The form this learning takes does not need to be purely theoretical in nature, I’m talking of something much more fluid than that. Consider being an autodidact in juggling, lockpicking, knitting, origami, learning an instrument, learning a language and sport. The aim of those rare birds, polymaths, was that they engaged in learning as if they were at play.

The polymathic achievements of Da Vinci (always the favourite go to), were made possible because Da Vinci did not restrict himself to any particular interest. Certainly he would not have uttered the profoundly idiotic dictum of the person in lockdown ‘I’m bored’.

A claim made by many would be that all of those things mentioned, don’t grab the interest. But to that person I would ask how many of the options have they actually tried? There’s little facets of interest and piquancy in every field of study. Consider for a moment parasitology. There are certain species of parasite which castrate crabs and render them zombie-like, mere organisms to carry around the parasitic young. This parasite is called ‘Sacculina’. Surely that’s of interest, grotesque and yet utterly engrossing.

I first found out about parasites from an Animal Planet programme called ‘Monsters Inside Me’, and had to find out more. So I purchased a textbook on parasites which included their lifecycles and the like. The point is, that stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and field of inquiry is a good thing. Branching out to as many topics as possible stretches the mind and builds new synaptic connections.

For any who would like to learn more about parasites check out the excellent Ted Talk by Ed wong, a link is in the references below.

I guess this article is an ode to learning, a praise for solitary study for its own sake.

References:

Cover photo: Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels

Autodidactism: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism)

Monsters Inside Me:(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsters_Inside_Me)

Ed Wong Ted Talk: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfqO1U6lfDs)

Polymathy: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath)

Sacculina: (https://blog.rsb.org.uk/sacculina-parasite/)

Sherlock Holmes and ash: (Arthur Conan Doyle, The Boscombe Vally mystery, The adventure of Sherlock Holmes)