Is learning the recollection of memories that are already present in the soul or is it the acquisition of new?

Question

Is learning the recollection of memories that are already present in the soul, or is learning the acquisition of the new, provided that the soul has possession of no previous knowledge?

“This is Plato’s doctrine of reminiscence, in which all learning is a kind of remembering of knowledge already present in the soul. All teaching takes the form of helping the learner to recollect things he may not be aware he knows, by reminding him through a process of questioning which awakens the knowledge already latent in him.”

Answer 1

I think most of the time you are acquiring completely new knowledge. My soul couldn't have inherently known anything that took place 5 minutes ago.

Answer 2

Ahhh, yes... The ol' mind is filled with knowledge that has to be nurtured out. Yet, Aristotle felt that the brain was empty and had to be filled with the knowledge.

My view is that both are correct... I believe that the larger brain is the empty slate for the first two years. During this time, the brain absorbs every bit of information from the shape of things to the emotions of people to the languages spoken. From the ages of 2 to 7 the collected information must be nurtured out. From 7 to 9 years of age the child begins the concrete process of thought through discovery by trial and error. By the time the child is 9, the childs general mental development is as it will be for the rest of the their life.

The smaller brain is filled with the knowledge that monitors and controls the bodily functions such as breathing, your heart, and the circulatory systems. However, it may also hold the experiences and knowledges of our ancestors. Things that could be passed from generation to generation. Such things may very well include our spirituality. Most of the world believes that there is something beyond our present existance. We can not prove it, but something in us knows it. I am sure there are other examples that are equally applicable.

Answer 3

I think there is a memory beyond this temporal plane..it is hard to explain but it's like we come out of the womb not knowing anything but knowing everything. Where did that come from? I do not know but if we ever find that path back we would have all the answers to every question we ever dreamed. Maybe it is a good thing we do not cause that would mean the end of Yahoo Answers! LOL

Answer 4

I think it is a combination of both. If we are only re-learning things our soul memory already knew, we would be going in circles. We have to learn totally new concepts. We do, however, "re-learn" things we experienced in past lives.

Answer 5

Acquisition of something new that you are learning