How to Learn
(by
Lewis Carroll)
The learner, who wishes to try
the question fairly, whether this little book does, or does not, supply the
materials for a most interesting mental recreation, is earnestly advised to
adopt the following Rules:
Begin at the beginning, and do
not allow yourself to gratify mere idle curiosity by
dipping into the book, here and there. This would very likely lead to your
throwing it aside, with the remark `This is much too hard for me!', and thus
losing the chance of adding a very large item to your stock of mental delights
. . .
Don't begin any fresh Chapter,
or Section, until you are certain that you thoroughly understand the whole book
up to that point and that you have worked, correctly, most if not all of the examples
which have been set . . . Otherwise, you will find your state of puzzlement get
worse and worse as you proceed till you give up the whole thing in utter
disgust.
When you come to a passage you
don't understand, read it again: if you still don't understand it, read it
again: if you fail, even after three readings, very likely your brain is
getting a little tired In that case, put the book away, and take to other
occupations, and next day, when you come to it fresh, you will very likely find
that it is quite easy.
If possible, find some genial
friend, who will read the book along with you, and will talk over the
difficulties with you. Talking is a wonderful smoother-over of difficulties.
When I come upon anything—in Logic or in any other hard subject—that entirely
puzzles me, I find it a capital plan to talk it over, aloud, even when I am all
alone. One can explain things so clearly to one's self! And then you know, one is so patient with one's self: one never gets
irritated at one's own stupidity!
If, dear Reader, you will
faithfully observe these Rules, and give my little book a really fair trial, I
promise you, most confidently, that you will find Symbolic Logic to be one of
the most, not the most, fascinating of mental recreations! In this First Part I
have carefully avoided all difficulties which seemed to me to beyond the grasp
of an intelligent child of (say) twelve or fourteen years of age. I have myself
taught most of its contents, viva voce, to many children, and have found them
take a real intelligent interest in the subject. For those, who succeeded in
mastering Part I, and who begin, like Oliver, `asking for more,' I hope to
provide, in Part II, some tolerably hard nuts to crack—nuts that will require
all the nut-crackers they happen to possess!
Mental recreation is a thing
that we all of us need for our mental health. Symbolic Logic will give you
clearness of thought—the ability to see your way through a puzzle—the habit of
arranging your ideas in an orderly and get-at-able form—and, more valuable than
all, the power to detect fallacies, and to tear to pieces the flimsy illogical
arguments, which you will continually encounter in books, in newspapers, in
speeches, and even in sermons, and which so easily delude those who have never
taken the trouble to master this fascinating Art. Try it. That is all I ask of
you!
From The Complete
Works of Lewis Carroll, London, The Nonesuch Press,
1939, pp. 1116-19.
Text taken from: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/carroll.htm
(last viewed in 4th November 2008 at 18.30 pm)
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