# “Experience is the best teacher”



## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

Someone I believe is an SP told me, “My motto is that experience is the best teacher. People can tell you all day long what they think will happen or what something is like, but until you see for yourself, you don’t know!”

What do you think? Do you agree with this philosophy?

EDIT: for simplicity


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## mia-me (Feb 5, 2021)

Both perspectives are useful, given the right context. You don't need to drive off a cliff to know that it'll hurt when you hit the bottom, even if you end up dying. On the other hand, avoiding asking someone out because you fear rejection to the degree of a phobia, is a self-defeating tactic.


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## ai.tran.75 (Feb 26, 2014)

Ne dom here- the quote in itself doesn’t have to pertain Se alone . Experience can be view as something you have learned/witnessed /heard of along with memories of witnessing others going through similar experiences - the human mind enjoy connecting- so though you may not experience something before , your collective memory can help you predict what’s going on next due to past experiences/recollective memories and knowledge. 
Also it’s common sense that you understand best through experiencing something- I trust a physician who’s been working for 40 years over a med student from Stanford University.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## KindaSnob! (Nov 15, 2020)

If what that motto say is true, i literally know nothing. I don't really quite resonate with that. But get the logic behind that. If you don't experience it, you can't truly embody it.


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## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

To clarify: This is an attitude where first-hand experience is considered more _trustworthy/reliable_ than other kinds of experience and information/knowledge acquisition, and therefore is *prioritized* when deciding if something is correct/incorrect or true/not true. Not that, like, you can't learn anything any other way. lol

In an extreme case, this could show up as saying that something doesn't happen or doesn't exist because one hasn't personally seen or experienced it. This SP that I know will also say things like, "Well I was there and I never saw that, so that must be false!" for example.


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## KindaSnob! (Nov 15, 2020)

Squirt said:


> To clarify: This is an attitude where first-hand experience is considered more _trustworthy/reliable_ than other kinds of experience and information/knowledge acquisition, and therefore is prioritized when deciding if something is correct/incorrect or true/not true. Not that, like, you can't learn anything any other way. lol
> 
> In an extreme case, this could show up as saying that something doesn't happen or doesn't exist because one hasn't personally seen or experienced it. This SP that I know will also say things like, "Well I was there and I never saw that, so that must be false!" for example.


Sorry. Sometimes my brain read it all wrong and jump to weird conclusion.


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## Electra (Oct 24, 2014)

There is a saying that if you don't learn from other peoples experiences you are doomed to have to experience it your self or something lke that. For example people can experience how bad violence is by reading about it; they can't physically feel the intensity of the pain. It's also said that burnt child hates the fire. But the solution can't be to be violent towards others to scare them! That's no solution at all, it only causes hate and fear. I personally think books are are great way to learn how other people feel because you can "crawl under their skin" and see things from their point of view. An example is the book Anne Franks diary. It tought me about the second world war in a completely different way then a dry book of numbers and statistics would.


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## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

KindaSnob! said:


> Sorry. Sometimes my brain read it all wrong and jump to weird conclusion.


You weren't the only one! I don't think I stated the case very well.


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## impulsenine (Oct 18, 2020)

I don't think it is Se-dom philosophy.

Experience really is the best teacher. Until something happens you only have assumptions. Which can be false.
No matter how hard you try, how precise you think, how good you prepare, you may never really learn something until you'll do it.
It's absurd to assume that you have control over something that is governed by chaos. And most of them are governed by chaos.
There is all about probabilities and possibilities.
But those are null until experience takes place.

Imagine the probability of appearing life. Spontaneously.
That's not possible if you think precisely.

But experience says us that it is possible.

Experience has the final word and is the most important.

Lessons are learned best by experience.

Kant said that knowledge begins by experience, continues with senses and ends with reason.
Not the other way around.

So Ni is refining, polishing. Not experience.

You can do an experiment: take a Se-dom (yeah, I just associate Se-dom with experience when previously I said it doesn't have much in common) and take an Ni-dom and let them learn things.
I bet Se-doms learns faster than Ni-dom and more things.
It's just that Ni-dom learns better (polishing, refining).

The thing is what do you understand by "best teacher"?
Someone who gave you knowledge fast so you're able to apply it ASAP?
Or someone who gave you the perfect lesson but in a longer time?

It depends on viewpoint.

But I'll asume that experience is the best teacher but even an Ni-dom can agree with this. Not just Se-doms.


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## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

impulsenine said:


> I don't think it is Se-dom philosophy.
> 
> Experience really is the best teacher. Until something happens you only have assumptions. Which can be false.
> No matter how hard you try, how precise you think, how good you prepare, you may never really learn something until you'll do it.
> ...


First-hand experience certainly provides strong and memorable impressions, but it is not infallible when it comes to determining the truth of observation.

This is about an attitude, an orientation, not about what is actually the best way to perceive things. 

Devil's advocate time: Your assertion about the probability of life... no one has first-hand experience of that. It is impossible to have that experience because we were not there at the origin of life. So what experience are you referring to that shows us it is possible to have spontaneously appeared?


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## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

impulsenine said:


> You can do an experiment: take a Se-dom (yeah, I just associate Se-dom with experience when previously I said it doesn't have much in common) and take an Ni-dom and let them learn things.
> I bet Se-doms learns faster than Ni-dom and more things.
> It's just that Ni-dom learns better (polishing, refining).
> 
> ...


Yes. I'd agree with this. I'd also add that how an Se dom and an Ni dom views efficiency might be very different, considering they tend to focus on different aspects of an activity or problem.



impulsenine said:


> But I'll asume that experience is the best teacher but even an Ni-dom can agree with this. Not just Se-doms.


I don't agree, exactly, even though I get why people do believe it and I wouldn't knock it on principle. 

It would be a lot to get into, and I was hoping to hear from more Se doms on the subject. I'll say this much though... I tend to require un-learning just as much as I learn by first-hand experience. No, I don't tend to trust my senses or my experience, on the whole, although employing those things can often provide a persuasive argument or illustration, if that is the goal. Refining. 

Hey, @Dr Whoresy , what you think?


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## Ewok City (Sep 21, 2020)

Squirt said:


> It sounded like a very Se dom thing to say, and while I can’t argue with the logic there, as an Ni dom, I often expect I can know in advance what something is like by observation and prediction, where experience is a tool to refine what I got right or wrong.


I've always thought that referring to past experiences is Si thing. 

But I think the experiencing thing first-hand part also applies to any type. Se is more about being observant of the real, present situation and acting accordingly, at almost spontaneous speed.


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## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

Ewok City said:


> I've always thought that referring to past experiences is Si thing.


"Experience is the best teacher" in the context of Se might mean: "I have to experiment and do the new thing to see if it works, I won't know until I try." where with Si it might mean: "I did this thing before, and experience taught me that it works, so I'm going to keep doing it."

It is interesting to see how different MBTI types are interpreting the same phrase in this thread...



Ewok City said:


> But I think the *experiencing thing first-hand part* also applies to any type. Se is more about being *observant of the real, present situation and acting accordingly*, at almost spontaneous speed.


What is the distinction you're making between these two?


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## Ewok City (Sep 21, 2020)

Squirt said:


> "Experience is the best teacher" in the context of Se might mean: "I have to experiment and do the new thing to see if it works, I won't know until I try." where with Si it might mean: "I did this thing before, and experience taught me that it works, so I'm going to keep doing it."


Yes, that's a better description to it!  



Squirt said:


> What is the distinction you're making between these two?


Not really differentiating between the two, my phrasing was bad so it was a bit misleading. My bad. 

I think both types will value something that they experience themselves. 

But I was just under the impression that Se is not too much about referring to specific past experiences, I'm guessing due to their Ni on the lower half stack. 

It's more about observing and acting upon the informations that is immediately available in front of them.


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## ImpossibleHunt (May 30, 2020)

I think this can also be true for inferior Se users (particularly INTJs, since we have tertiary Fi). The conclusion is the same, it's just the justification is somewhat different.
I know that I tend to always relate whatever activities I pursue to some sort of greater cause. That's how I justify myself doing them. I have a hard time separating the activity from the "meaning" behind it.
For example, I didn't learn to change a tire to simply know how to change a tire. It's just one of the many things that I taught myself because that makes me a more "reliable" person.
I didn't learn how to clean just to simply maintain cleanliness. It's also a reflection of me as a person. If my place is filthy, then what does that say about me?

Another example, travelling. Most people say they want to travel to see the world, to relax on the beaches,binge drinking, to see the wildlife, etc. Perfectly normal things.
On the other hand, I see it as sort of "balancing myself out" and making myself a better person. You can take something good from each culture, and add a piece of it to yourself.
But I can't make those changes if I don't make that initial push. That's what gets me out of bed in the morning, despite me not really wanting to do some things.
Of course, it all depends on what each individual values.

I think the whole "Experience is the best teacher" motto is a thing for all Se users.
It's just I find the justification differs based on where Se is located in your function stack I guess.


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## letsrunlikecrazy (Sep 21, 2015)

You can learn a lot without direct experience, but experiencing something for yourself lets you internalize it.

In my case, I have a shitty memory and it's just easier for me to learn by doing because it lets me internalize the lessons in a physical, personal way. When I watch coding tutorials, for example, it's really just to get sample code I can refer to later. I'll never remember the steps the teacher used. I might not even remember the more abstract explanations. Instead, I have to practice doing it myself so I can internalize it through muscle memory and my own inner logic system.

It probably frustrated the people I worked with - half the time when they were explaining more complex procedures to me I'd only be partly listening because I firmly believed I wouldn't retain the information. They'd ask me if I understood or had any questions and I'd tell them I wouldn't know unless I tried it out myself.


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## 8080 (Oct 6, 2020)

Parents invest a lot in their product (child) and hope to enjoy it for a long time, even to be loved by it until death, and they also hope to increase their status and standard of living. Therefore they want to transfer as much as possible of their more or less expensively paid experience to their product, which unfortunately proves difficult, except for personality types who exude a grandmotherly flair.

An example: An acquaintance (INFP) tells me that he lets his teenage sister copulate with her boyfriend in his bedroom, although her aunt has forbidden her to copulate. He feels that he is a good brother who cares for the needs of his fellow human beings, and he is proud of himself. Time passes, but at some point I call him and the first thing he asks me is whether I want to contribute to his sister's abortion costs. I still remember his pride, thinking, “So the aunt was right, the combined intelligence of two teenagers was obviously no match for their copulatory lust!” And I answer, with little delicacy, "As long as your sister doesn't pay for my sexuality, I won't pay for her sexuality either!”
















Birds = Aves; adjective: avian


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## pwowq (Aug 7, 2016)

I know a lot because I've failed a lot.


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## Ohndot (Apr 12, 2015)

Trial and *error*.


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## Lunacik (Apr 19, 2014)

This is one of those things my dad preached repeatedly while I was growing up. "Experience is the best teacher...but it's also the hardest" he'd notoriously say.

I do like to accumulate experiences just to learn from them, but as for it being the best teacher...I think it's relative. I don't think it's always the best teacher. I mean, how is "best" even defined? If it was a needlessly painful lesson to learn, was it really the best way?


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