Analects 2:15

Confucius said, “He who learns but does not think is lost; he who thinks but does not learn is in danger.”  [Analects 2:15]

Today, I will try to interpret analects 2: 15 from the topic "Learning" which is the second step of the development of a superior man.

In the first step of the development of a superior man, it teaches a person that in order to acquire knowledge, a person must know that he doesn't know everything and that leads him on gaining knowledge through inquiring. In the second step of the development, using the above analect, Confucius is trying to say that it is not enough that a person just acquire knowledge for it will be good as nothing if it only stays in the mind. He is trying to say that whatever one learns, it must be seen through his actions. The knowledge gained can teach a person on how to deal with possibilities but if this knowledge only stays in the mind without practicing it, then the person may be put in danger because he did not act upon what he have learned. The same thing will happen if the person does not gain any knowledge. If the person is not eager to know and only rely on the learnings he will eventually get through routined/ everyday life experience, then he will be lost because these experiences can not really tell you all the things that you will need to know. If a person will only wait when his experience reveals knowledge, then he will not learn much and when confronted with possibilities, he will be in danger.

The learning that Confucius is saying requires the effort of the person to know and reflect upon what he has known. After he has reflected on his learnings, it must be then put into action. It is through action that the learning is asserted. When the action becomes a habit, it will help him in developing the virtues that a superior man must have.