The more I learn, the more I realize that most experts are really good at 1)aggregating information, 2)connecting multiple/varied dots, and 3)articulating complex insights in a simplistic manner.

Thread contd...

There are few people out there with truly “novel insights” (which isn’t a bad thing)

However, I do believe in some cases (science experiments, exploration, etc) unique experience can lead to novel insight.

But as @RayDalio says in his book Principles:

Every day you come across opportunities to make decisions that are just “another one of those.”

In other words, there are situations that are similar to experiences you have encountered previously.

This statement supports that even novel insight through experience is rare.

From a sheer “technical knowledge” standpoint, most experts have expert”S” they refer to.

@chamath says it best in his Stanford talk (summarized) - “copy people; take what you like and don’t do what you don’t like”.

Quoted: “Be around high functioning/high quality people and just copy the shit they do. Observe the shit that’s kind of crappy, and don’t do that stuff. It’s not a fucking complicated formula”.

That is what experts do extremely well!

It kind of reminds me of the concept of evolution (take best traits/knowledge from best people and leave behind the shitty traits/knowledge from the best people)

True genius in today’s information age is:

being able to distinguish good information sources from bad;

connect those various information sources in a “novel way”;

and then having the ability to explain it in a way that’s palletable for the average person.

I’m not the smartest person in the room (by any means), but I am getting increasingly better at believing “believable people” (not just anyone that sounds convincing) & connecting the dots (creating relationships from varied schools of knowledge & data, & then articulating it.

The last step- “teaching others” by articulating complex ideas in simplistic ways, is a key attribute for any leader (business, spiritual, expert)

We are all a work in progress (especially me), so I hope my exploration on the topic of experts makes some sense.

End of thread

Radically transparent feedback is welcomed and appreciated.