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Ha! That’s So Simple, Even My Chauffeur Can Answer It

Yogesh Malik
Subtleties of Things & Non-things
3 min readFeb 13, 2018

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Albert Einstein, his theory of relativity and true life anecdote -physically. Knowing How To Learn Is More Important Than Acquiring A Lot Of Knowledge

Albert Einstein was often called to give lectures to the public on his difficult-to -understand Theory of  Relativity. His chauffeur who used to drive him to the  lecture halls had heard his lectures so many times that  he claimed to know it by heart, in a lighter vein, Einstein  therefore suggested him to give the lecture the next time  to which the chauffeur readily agreed. 

In those days, very few people who called him for a lecture knew how he looked like. So, on the next lecture, Einstein and his chauffeur exchanged their roles. The chauffeur went to the stage to deliver the lecture while Einstein took a seat in the rear of the hall!
To the surprise of Einstein, the chauffeur did deliver his lecture on the Theory of Relativity ad verbatim. And when one person stood up and asked a question on the theory, the chauffeur replied, ‘Oh, this question is so easy that even my chauffeur can answer it!’ and he pointed at Einstein at the rear of the hall!

There are many methods to learn and understand complex subjects and sometimes it is all relative how you look at it.

ADEPT:

  1. Analogy — what it’s like?
  2. Diagram — visualize/mind map
  3. Example — experience/evidence
  4. Plain-English — how to use it in day to day life
  5. Technical description — let’s get formal
ADEPT

The Feynman Method:

  1. Pick a concept and study is quickly — explore the topic
  2. Explain it to someone 5 year old — in a simple language
  3. Find out the knowledge gap — what are you missing?
  4. Use an analogy to understand it better
  5. Simplify the subject — and tell your story
The Feynman Method

Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy — Saadi

Many things which nature makes difficult become easy to the man who uses his brains — Hannibal Barca

We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible— Vince Lombardi

Knowing How To Learn Is More Important Than Acquiring A Lot Of Knowledge

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