In this engaging conversation, Scott Young, a writer and entrepreneur known for his books on mastery and ultralearning, shares strategies for skill improvement. He emphasizes learning by imitation and extracting valuable insights from experts rather than just seeking straightforward advice. Scott discusses the necessity of temporary setbacks and challenges, arguing that sometimes you have to get worse before you can get better. He also highlights the importance of structured feedback and gradually increasing task difficulty to enhance learning.
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insights INSIGHT
Interconnected Learning
Modern Tetris players are significantly better than those from 20 years ago, not due to individual brilliance.
Increased interconnectedness allows rapid learning and implementation of optimal techniques and strategies.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Social Learning Advantage
Joseph Henrich argues human success stems from culture and social learning, not inherent intelligence.
Toddlers, unlike apes, readily copy problem-solving demonstrations, highlighting the human capacity for social learning.
insights INSIGHT
Copying in Renaissance Art
Renaissance artists honed skills by meticulously copying masterworks, contrary to the modern emphasis on originality.
This copying built fundamental skills like drawing, seeing, and perceiving before developing an original vision.
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In 'The Secret of Our Success', Joseph Henrich presents a provocative alternative to the standard narrative about human evolution. He argues that the key to human success is not our individual intelligence, but our ability to form collective brains that store and transmit vast amounts of cultural knowledge. Henrich draws on findings from anthropology, linguistics, behavioral economics, psychology, and evolutionary biology to demonstrate how culture and genes interact in a unique evolutionary process that drives human innovation and progress. The book challenges traditional views of evolution and highlights the importance of social and cultural factors in shaping human behavior and achievements.
The great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published in 1925, 'The Great Gatsby' is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life during the Jazz Age. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in the lives of his wealthy and mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and Gatsby's obsession to win back his first love, Daisy Buchanan. The story delves into themes of honesty, the temptations of wealth, and the struggle to escape the past, ultimately reflecting on the disintegration of the American Dream.
Get Better at Anything
12 Maxims for Mastery
Scott Young
In 'Get Better at Anything', Scott Young argues that mastering new skills is dependent on three key factors: seeing how experts do it, practicing the skill yourself, and seeking continuous feedback. He breaks down the learning process into these fundamental steps and offers 12 maxims to improve the way we learn. The book is designed to help anyone accelerate their learning journey, whether they are students, employees, or individuals pursuing personal interests. Young uses research and real-life examples to illustrate how these principles can lead to rapid progress and mastery in various fields.
Life revolves around learning—in school, at our jobs, even in the things we do for fun. But we often don’t progress in any of these areas at the rate we’d like. Consequently, and unfortunately, we often give up our pursuits prematurely or resign ourselves to always being mediocre in our classes, career, and hobbies.
Scott Young has some tips on how you can avoid this fate, level up in whatever you do, and enjoy the satisfaction of skill improvement. Scott is a writer, programmer, and entrepreneur, and the author of Get Better at Anything: 12 Maxims for Mastery. Today on the show, Scott shares the three key factors in helping us learn. He explains how copying others is an underrated technique in becoming a genius, why, contrary to the sentiments of motivational memes, we learn more from success than mistakes, why experts often aren’t good teachers and tactics for drawing out their best advice, why you may need to get worse before you get better, and more.
The Art of Manliness 
