Powerful Writing: The Journey Ahead
Zeno’s circle of knowledge and the principles of powerful writing
Isn’t it amazing how getting an answer often prompts us to ask more questions?
There’s an old well-known story about Zeno of Elea, the famed thinker who lived in 5th c. B.C.E. in Ancient Greece, known mostly for his paradoxes, such as Achilles and the Tortoise, that to this day spark imaginations of those who come across them.
Like many ancient philosophers, Zeno taught his ideas to a group of students and, being a good teacher, encouraged them to ask questions. As the story goes, they once asked him why he was always humble, even though his knowledge was almost incomparable to theirs. Zeno, apparently being a strong believer in the power of visualization, drew a small circle in the sand. Then, he drew a bigger one around it. “This,” he said, pointing at the small circle, “is what you know. And this,” he pointed at the large circle, “is what I know. Everything outside each circle is the unknown. You are right, I do know much more than you do, but it also means that my exposure to the unknown is much bigger than yours.”
History doesn’t tell us whether Zeno’s students were motivated and humbled by his short speech or stood up and left, having decided to give up on studies altogether due to the…
