I have a new idea. I think most of what you learn is second-hand to another primary activity.
I think it’s great: a primary activity — i.e., work, hobbies, problematic times, etc. — creates the medium for interactions that allow people to contemplate other problems, concerns and/or interests in their life. After a while, a few tangential comments allow the conversation to flow to a new understanding.
I think this is one type of basis for humans to learn. From a simulation theory perspective, this is the essence of stochastic modeling, an approach used when generic algorithms are not realistic in solving a problem at hand.
Thought origin: solving personal problems at work, forming new ideas while on group workouts, and copious amounts of drug usage.
AdventuresInMissingThePoint.com 