If A Wise Man Learns By The Experience Of Others, How Does A Fool Learn?

According to the proverb "A wise man learns by the experience of others; a fool, by his own." Of course, there is an equally old saying that "Experience is the best teacher."

Both sayings are true. The point of the first proverb is that, if knowledge exists and is easy to use, it is foolish not to make use of it. You will still need experience and practise in order to learn a skill, do your job and so on; but (to use another proverb) there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

For instance, if you have just got your first computer, it would be very silly to throw away the instructions, helpline details and all the other information, based on the experience and knowledge of others, which would help you to get the best out of it. On the other hand, only by using the computer yourself will you develop keyboard skills, internet skills and so on – even an IT course is little use unless you practise.

A fool rushes in where Angels fear to tread.This could also be interpreted as a brave act. There's sometimes a thin line between foolhardy behaviour and bravery. Sometimes a full learns by mistakes and impetuous behaviour. A lot depends on what our definition of a fool is.
Fools and wise men together learn by the experience of their own actions and those of others but they go about learning in a different way. It all depends on the definition or perception of wise and foolish under any given situation or conditions.