You Cannot Tell Me Anything

"You cannot tell me anything. I know it all. I am a liberal intellectual. I am the one that knows best. I am intellectually and morally superior to everyone. Everything I do is honorable; everything I do is noble and ideal for the common good. If I use compulsion and government force to coerce the masses to live tightly regulated lives, ever deprived of liberty, choice or independence, it is because I know what is good for them. Being forced to live right, in accordance to my lights, is what they need, and they must obey.

I cannot be taught anything, because if I do not already know it, the new information is of no value. Indeed, as brilliant as I am, it is my job to do the talking, the teaching, the lecturing and commanding. I give orders. I do not take orders. None are allowed to refuse my teaching and direction: no longer must they live apart, selfish and narcissistic, living their private lives waywardly without my guidance and intervention."

The truth of the matter is that he who will only teach but refuses to be taught is a man of dangerous ignorance and bias, unwilling to learn from others. No one knows it all. As Emerson noted, we can learn something from everyone we meet.

We need to deemphasize teachers per se--though they are still valuable. The emphasis must be on perpetual learning or self-teaching. To individuate is to grow and learn, and learn and grow. Always, we must be willing to be taught by others, but what we assimilate and what we value must always be selected by the self as the final arbiter.

As we individuate and make original contributions to human knowledge and culture, then we will have finally something to teach others, but this in no way relieves us of the obligation to be willing to learn and be, taught by others if such instruction is illuminating, useful and  effective.