Monday 17 September 2012

Learning by Osmosis

Osmosis is the flow of a solvent through a semi permeable membrane from a more concentrated solution to a less concentrated one, until the concentrations are equalized.

Osmosis may also be defined as the gradual, often unconscious, absorption of knowledge or ideas through continual exposure rather than deliberate learning

Several points can be noted here. The key point though is that there is transfer of matter from one location to another, altering the state of the latter to be more like the former. This happens because the dividing wall between the two locations is semi-permeable. What would happen if it was impermeable? There would be no transfer, hence no osmosis.

Illustration
Let us take the concentrated solutions to be value systems. Good/right values and wrong values. It works both ways.
Let the solvent be the means of transfer of the values e.g. speech, literature, company etc..


Where the concentrated solution represents wrong values:
Osmosis is the flow of speech, literature, attitudes, perspectives etc. through a SEMI PERMEABLE MEMBRANE from a concentrated solution (high concentration of the wrong values), to a less concentrated one, until the state of the person initially holding right values is like that of the one initially holding wrong values.

Assumptions
1. There are right and wrong values
2. The absence of one is the presence of the other
3. As one set of values increases the other decreases till it is totally extinguished 

The fact that the membrane is semi permeable is the key factor contributing to the “process of osmosis.” If the membrane were impermeable to the opposing values, there would be no osmosis.


The second factor contributing to the success of the process is that even though the second (good) person holds good values, he has a degree of wrong values. (Low concentration). Though the wrong values are in a low concentration, they are there all the same. Existence of these, albeit in relatively small degrees, enable the process to take place. Put otherwise, these wrong values in negligible quantities, if not dealt with, eventually attract others of their kind till they are numerous.

The second definition given above alludes to the fact that osmosis is not purely a scientific process. It has to do with the acquisition of knowledge and ideas through CONTINUAL exposure. Notice the process is gradual and often unconscious. 


What would happen if we deliberately ensured that ours was an impermeable membrane, not a semi-permeable one? How would it be if we did not have even a small concentration of the "wrong solution"? Would we be "learning by osmosis"? 


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