On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, tom wood wrote: > Richard Duchesne wrote: > >What about pre-linguistic mental capacities, say in the first two > >years of a child? This is possible, but should we call that > >"thinking"? > > Are you saying learning is possible without thinking? I wanted to wade in just to the edges here, because this is way out of my area. Events the last few weeks as we have started law school have brought back to me the interesting process of teaching students to think like lawyers. Every year I see the students come in, unable to make certain logical connections or arguments. Slowly, they see how. I recall as a student how one moment I couldn't grasp a way of reasoning and then the next I could. I saw a student doing this yesterday in my office. There is certainly language involved in this process, so it's not the same as Tom Wood's example. What is intriguing is that there seems to be some development -- actually physical development in the brain -- that takes place and thereafter makes it possible to see things in a wholly different way. Year before last I had a tenured psych professor from SDSU in my first year class, and he confirmed that this is how it felt to him as he went through the experience. It is far different from memorizing concepts or laws but seems to go to the roots of how to think. And, now, before this gets me into trouble, I'll bow out. e Ellen J. Dannin California Western School of Law 225 Cedar Street San Diego, CA 92101 Phone: 619-525-1449 Fax: 619-696-9999
