Inspired by my father whom I owe much, and who continues to be a great inspiration to me.
Hello All,
My name is Ian.
Welcome to my first post here on Medium. This article will be different than the rest that I will publish. This initial article focuses on my intentions and reasoning for writing going forward.
First, a couple of ground rules
- What I don’t know far exceeds what I do know.
- I will make many mistakes and errors (I will seek to correct these).
- All these articles will be the result of explorations whether the result of work or general cultivation of a deeper understanding of the world.
- Fundamentally this a real-time application of the Feynman technique
Over the course of these articles I am looking to further develop ideas, and share explorations into various topics. I hope that the result of this will attract other individuals who also seek to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the world.
If you are interested in the critical technique that is key to this exploration, continue reading. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for the next article and/or come say hi at www.ianeliason.com.
Richard Feynman was a Nobel winning physicist and he used a process that has come to be known as the “Feynman Learning Technique” to rapidly learn, explore, and cultivate a deeper understanding of a given topic.
He described it in three key steps:
- Select a topic/concept to study.
- Behave as if you were teaching it to a child.
- This will highlight gaps in your explanation. Re-study the source material and fill the gaps.
This process helps you identify whether you actually “know something” or you just memorized facts about a topic. In order to actually study a topic/concept in-depth, you must be able to describe it simply.
In reality, most things should/can be described simply. In fact, it is a great test to determine whether someone you are having a conversation with truly understands the topic or simply repeats memorized facts.
Until next time,
Ian
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