Elon Musk Just Gave An Amazing Tip On How To Learn A Lot Quickly
Danny Moloshok / ReutersYou can attach a whole range of titles to Elon Musk's name - engineer, designer, or chief executive, to name a few.
But he wouldn't be any of those things if he wasn't ridiculously good at learning.
During the course of his career, Musk has mastered online payments, rocket flight, and electric car manufacturing, plus a host of other subjects.
In Monday night's Reddit AMA, user aerovistae asked Musk how he learns so much so fast.
Musk's reply was instructive:
I think most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying.
One bit of advice: it is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree -- make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to.
In other words, knowledge has a logical structure to it, and you need to understand the foundations before moving to the extremities.
Musk's emphasis on "fundamental principles" mirrors another healthy habit of mind he adheres to: first principles thinking.
Musk says that with first principles, "you boil things down to the most fundamental truths … and then reason up from there."
The approach goes all the way back to Ancient Greece, which was the start of Western civilization's attempts to systematize knowledge.
Over 2,300 years ago, Aristotle said that a first principle is the "first basis from which a thing is known" and that pursuing first principles is the key to doing any sort of systemic inquiry - whether in philosophy, as he did, or in business, as Musk does.
In other words, you have to get to know the tree's trunk, then branch out from there.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- From terrace to table: 8 Edible plants you can grow in your home
- India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report
- New study forecasts high chance of record-breaking heat and humidity in India in the coming months
- Gold plunges ₹1,450 to ₹72,200, silver prices dive by ₹2,300
- Strong domestic demand supporting India's growth: Morgan Stanley