This chapter explores the distinction between scientists and engineers, emphasizing the significance of failure and experimentation in science and delving into the desire to embody both roles. It also discusses the obstacles to learning new skills and offers insights on how to overcome them, ultimately highlighting the brain's capacity for lifelong learning.
To write "Beginners," Tom Vanderbilt embarked on a yearlong quest of learning just for the sake of it. Along the way, he interviewed dozens of experts about the psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner. Today, he joins us to explain how anyone can get better at beginning again — and why it's worth it.