The Feynman Technique—how to learn anything:
The Feynman Technique is a foundational learning method that prioritizes simplicity and depth of understanding.
It was developed by Richard Feynman—an American theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1965 for his groundbreaking work in quantum electrodynamics.
So yes, you could say that Richard Feynman was intelligent...
But there are a lot of intelligent people in the world.
Feynman's true genius was found in his ability to convey extremely complex ideas in simple, elegant, digestible ways.
He had observed that complexity and jargon are often used to mask a lack of deep understanding.
As a rule:
If someone uses a lot of acronyms, complexity, and jargon to explain something to you, they probably don’t understand it.
We've all encountered this type of "expert"...
The Feynman Technique is a learning framework that forces you to develop a deep, elegant understanding of a given topic.
It involves four key steps:
(1) Set the Stage
(2) ELI5 (Explain It To Me Like I'm 5)
(3) Assess & Study
(4) Organize, Convey & Review
Let's cover each step: