Edward Reed makes a very important differentation between primary experiences and secondary experiences.He argues that through the enormous technological progress ” there has been considerable regress in meaningful communication among people. He claims that many of us spent much of our work time in this age of information pushing buttons,and responding like machines to symbols that are created by someone else, symbols that hold no meaning for us.”

“Billions of dollars are being spent to create content wide information superhighways along wich will flow every conceivable kind of information, except one. The information being left out of these developments, unfortunately, the most inportant kind; the information-termed ecological- that all human beings acquire from their environment by looking, listening, feeling, sniffing and tasting- the information in other words, that allows us to experience things for ourselves. Ecological information is primary, processed information is secondary. Primary experience, gained through the senses, are our most basic source for understanding reality and learning for ourselves. This important differentiation has not been made in present ‘experience’ literature.
Our culture, however, favours the indirect knowledge gained form secondary experiences, in which information is selected, modified, packaged and presented by others. In this remarkable book the author warnes that second hand experiences has become so dominant in our technological workplaces, schools and even homes that primary experience is endangered. Without opportunities to learn directly we become less likely to think and feel for ourselves. Reed goes back and expands on the work of the American Philosopher

Dewey and offers an alternative vision on meaningful learning.

Higly recommended reading!