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I'm trying to find a term which describes a person that, although he/she is constantly learning through life, is aware of his/her own ignorance the more the person knows.
Does it exist?
Example sentence:
"The truth is I thought that I was an expert in my field before starting at university, but as time passes I realize how little I know: I'm just a ______."
There is a term (and a concept) in Zen Buddhism known as shoshin (初心 in Japanese):
Shoshin (初心) is a word from Zen Buddhism meaning "beginner's mind." It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would. The term is especially used in the study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese martial arts.
The phrase is also discussed in the book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen teacher. Suzuki outlines the framework behind shoshin, noting "in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."[1]
The idea behind this is that if you harbor any preconceptions, you cannot learn further. What you know (or think you know) is the enemy of what you can learn.
You see practical examples of this when professional athletes have to "go back to basics" to improve their abilities (e.g., Tiger Woods changing his golf swing), even though they are already performing at enormously high levels. That's not to say that these athletes are consciously practicing shoshin, but that the effects are similar.
