
拍我,也拍你
004 It has been said, "Not everything that is learned is contained in books." Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?
Though most of our knowledge is absorbed in book, it is really wrong to make such a decision that book is more important that experience as a source of knowledge, without consideration that knowledge is coming from experience, servicing for practical life and developing in our real society.
First of all, originally, knowledge, whatever it could be classified, comes from experience. When someone met some problems in his real life and a good solution is proposed, we could call it "knowledge", instead of being created by someone who publishes the book with his colorful imagination. Furthermore, our knowledge is confined by our horizons, which is related directly to practical life. No body, even he is Einstein, could think out the inner structure of certain particle, because we have not experience about it. We have never seen it. So, knowledge is based on experience.
Second, knowledge's significance is to benefit our lives. That is why we pay attention on knowledge, show our respect on who owns lots of knowledge and write into book which in ture is seen as the main source of knowledge by mistake! One example is presented here that when a man has learned how to mend a car, it makes sense only if he did mend car for others, or the technique of mending has nothing to do with knowledge. And the success of modern society should own to being accumulated knowledge. It is knowledge benefits us and it is also knowledge distinguish us from ancient human beings!
Finally, knowledge is developing in our society, not in the papers which made up the books. Since the invention of book, we can acquire knowledge from it. it could tell us what has been done, but it can not tell us what will be done. The trends and demands of knowledge is varying by the time and space, but not in the boring and stiff books. We have to update knowledge with the environment and the situation we are in. If an engineer do not keep step with changing knowledge, ten year latter he definitely will feel lagging.
To summarize, book and experience are both a kind source of knowledge. But the latter is also the aim and direction of knowledge. Therefore it is not difficult to answer the question: which one is more important.