Kalid Azad and I discuss June’s book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. We discuss the practical implications of the book as well as some of its loftier philosophical ambitions. If you would rather read the transcript, download it here. Below are some highlights: …on the analytical “knife” and what is created/destroyed in the […]
Do You Need Self-Discipline to Have Fun?
Hedonism is a school of thought that says maximizing one’s own pleasure is the ultimate goal in life. Originally stated by Aristippus, a student of Socrates, the term has become pejorative, usually referring to people who indulge excessively in sensory pleasures of food, drugs or sex. Most people don’t take hedonism seriously, or directly try […]
How Much Do You Really Understand?
How do you know when you understand something? This is trickier than it seems. Explanations are recursive. recursive. Recursion is the algorithmic equivalent of Matryoshka dolls. The same process nested inside itself again and again. This may sound complicated, but we use recursive processes all the time. recursive processes all the time. Consider trying to […]
The Essential Education: If You Had Ten Years to Learn Anything, What Would You Do?
I can remember years ago having a discussion with someone about the purpose of college. I was arguing that university often doesn’t do a good job of preparing young people for the world of work, and my friend was arguing that I was missing the point. College isn’t about economic preparedness, but about educating people […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.