My Methodology of Analysis (200k SUB SPECIAL!)

01:22:33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFWzrZOlm2c

Ringkasan

TLDRThe creator shares their methodology for analysis, which involves focusing on 'what' questions rather than 'why,' exploring contradictions, and building simplified models of understanding. The video aims to offer educational content to enhance analytical skills, rather than provide entertainment. The creator discusses the importance of asking abundant questions, embracing contradictions around key elements to foster deeper comprehension, and maintaining focus on generalized understanding rather than concrete answers. The methodology includes avoiding over-dependence on existing definitions or the intentions of creators while committing to independently forming insights. The notion of 'forgetting the facts' is suggested to inspire fresh perspectives and question preconceived notions, driving towards context-free understanding and independent analytical capability. Self-improvement in analysis is encouraged through critical thinking, comparison, inquiry, and empowering individual frameworks over pre-established ones.

Takeaways

  • 🤔 Ask 'what' not 'why' to gather foundational knowledge.
  • 🔍 Explore contradictions for deeper insights.
  • 📚 Form your understanding before turning to external definitions.
  • 🧠 'Forget the facts' to reassess fundamental ideas.
  • 📝 Use simplicity as a goal for creating guiding models.
  • ❌ Critically engage with the idea of overanalysis.
  • 🛠 Build independent frameworks rather than relying on existing ones.
  • 🌟 Questioning drives more comprehensive understanding and learning.
  • 📈 Prioritize self-improvement through critical thinking and analysis.
  • 🔄 Be open to multiple models and perspectives; contradictions can coexist.

Garis waktu

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video creator feels awkward sharing their unique analysis methodology, noting that it's not typical YouTube content and will be a detailed, non-entertaining guide. Despite the discomfort, they aim to fulfill viewer requests and provide comprehensive, actionable insights into their analytical process.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The creator introduces two major rules in analysis: first, to ask "why" about everything to help identify potential causes and questions that can guide understanding. They emphasize the importance of asking every conceivable question to open up possible areas of investigation or theory.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The creator stresses the importance of asking "what" instead of "why" to focus analysis on gathering knowledge rather than expressing confusion. They argue that "what" questions lead to more structured, meaningful inquiry and help create more grounded theories by focusing on defining observed facts.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The creator discusses the nature of developing theories and models in analysis, emphasizing that these are approximations that help explain data more comprehensively. They caution against settling on superficial definitions or relying on others' definitions without individual exploration.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    A methodology involving ongoing questioning is recommended to navigate getting stuck in analysis. This includes strategies like identifying contradictions, finding pivot points in sequences, and comparing similar or contrasting elements to stimulate further inquiry and deepen the investigation.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    The creator introduces the technique of 'forgetting the facts' to stimulate new perspectives, akin to Einstein's approach to rethinking subject matter without preconceived notions. They suggest stepping back to reassess broader topics abstractly to break through analytical roadblocks.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    The creator highlights the qualities of good theories: Simplicity (reducing complexity through unified, elegant explanations), transformative understanding (making phenomena appear categorically different), and requiring specific evidence to substantiate theories.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:40:00

    A list of general analytical do's and don'ts includes rejecting the concept of over-analysis and treating all details as potentially intentional, to focus on learning. They emphasize the importance of remaining open to new ideas and being mindful of the ego in evaluation.

  • 00:40:00 - 00:45:00

    The creator advises comparing everything in analysis as a rich source of questions and encourages deep engagement with analysis. They stress the importance of being confident yet open to critique, and the necessity of clearly formulating and communicating ideas.

  • 00:45:00 - 01:22:33

    The video closes with reflections on the educational background that informed the creator's approach, underscoring the value of tradition in learning. The creator expresses gratitude for the support received on their channel, sharing insights from their unique academic experiences.

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Mind Map

Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan

  • What is the main focus of the video?

    The video focuses on explaining the creator's unique methodology for analysis, aiming to be educational and useful.

  • Why does the creator feel awkward making this video?

    The creator feels awkward because it involves explaining their analytical thought process, which feels self-aggrandizing.

  • How does the creator view 'why' and 'what' questions?

    The creator suggests prioritizing 'what' questions over 'why' questions to focus on gathering knowledge and understanding causes.

  • What does the video say about contradictions in analysis?

    Contradictions are viewed as opportunities for deeper understanding, indicating areas where traditional thought may not fully explain a phenomenon.

  • How should one approach using other people's definitions according to the creator?

    The video advises forming one's own understanding first before referring to external definitions to enhance personal insight and analysis skills.

  • What is the significance of 'forgetting the facts' in analysis?

    'Forgetting the facts' encourages a fresh perspective by reassessing preconceived notions and looking at the broader subject matter.

  • How does the video suggest improving analytical skills?

    By practicing asking questions, seeking contradictions, using personal ingenuity, and not relying solely on external ideas.

  • What are some key takeaways from the video's suggested methodology?

    Key points include asking more 'what' than 'why,' analyzing contradictions, and committing to independent analysis and model-building.

  • Does the video address the concept of overanalysis?

    Yes, the creator dismisses overanalysis as a concept that stifles deeper understanding and suggests engaging with complex analysis.

  • Why does the creator emphasize using fewer external sources?

    Using fewer external sources encourages developing a unique viewpoint, improves critical thinking, and prevents reliance on predefined ideas.

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Teks
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Gulir Otomatis:
  • 00:00:00
    okay this is a video about my
  • 00:00:01
    methodology of analysis and it feels
  • 00:00:03
    very weird people have been asking me
  • 00:00:05
    for something like this since I started
  • 00:00:06
    making analysis content I do recognize
  • 00:00:08
    that I have a unique style that a lot of
  • 00:00:09
    people probably haven't been exposed to
  • 00:00:10
    but it's just awkward being like come in
  • 00:00:12
    here help my brilliant genius smart
  • 00:00:14
    person brain works when you're just like
  • 00:00:16
    a random guy on YouTube making videos
  • 00:00:17
    about TV shows so that's weird the other
  • 00:00:19
    weird thing is that there's no way
  • 00:00:20
    around how un YouTube friendly this
  • 00:00:22
    video is going to be this is not like a
  • 00:00:24
    five easy ways to improve your analysis
  • 00:00:26
    BuzzFeed article this is going to be
  • 00:00:28
    very dry it's gonna be very abstract
  • 00:00:29
    it's gonna be exhausting to listen to I
  • 00:00:31
    am packing a ton of information into
  • 00:00:33
    this I'm trying to make these
  • 00:00:34
    methodology techniques and strategies
  • 00:00:36
    and rules and ideas as comprehensive and
  • 00:00:39
    actionable as possible and because of
  • 00:00:41
    that it's not gonna be exciting it's not
  • 00:00:42
    like fun content I'm not making this to
  • 00:00:43
    entertain I'm making it to be useful and
  • 00:00:45
    hopefully it will be but either way it's
  • 00:00:47
    what the people want so that's what I
  • 00:00:48
    have to do okay last note this is not
  • 00:00:50
    going to be about fiction analysis per
  • 00:00:51
    se it's gonna be about analysis in
  • 00:00:53
    general how I would analyze anything I
  • 00:00:54
    mentioned before my background is not in
  • 00:00:56
    literally analysis it's in tamilrock law
  • 00:00:58
    Jewish law this the brisker method my
  • 00:01:00
    channel was like I don't know a science
  • 00:01:01
    channel or a psychology Channel or a
  • 00:01:03
    philosophy Channel or God forbid a
  • 00:01:05
    politics Channel this video would
  • 00:01:06
    probably look almost exactly the same
  • 00:01:07
    okay so enough intro let's start okay so
  • 00:01:10
    let's begin with the two biggest rules
  • 00:01:11
    of analyzing anything which may or may
  • 00:01:14
    not contradict each other rule number
  • 00:01:15
    one is ask why about everything this
  • 00:01:19
    idea is pretty intuitive but I don't
  • 00:01:21
    think the extent of it is as intuitive
  • 00:01:22
    the first thing to do with anything you
  • 00:01:24
    are trying to analyze is to ask every
  • 00:01:27
    question you can think of and I mean
  • 00:01:28
    every question so if I have a scene just
  • 00:01:31
    like a little kid almost what I want to
  • 00:01:32
    do first is ask like a thousand why
  • 00:01:34
    questions spoilers for Arcane shocker
  • 00:01:37
    take the tea party scene why a tea party
  • 00:01:38
    why is doing it at circle's old place
  • 00:01:40
    why is a real valdiana here why is bunny
  • 00:01:42
    here why does she need Milo and clicker
  • 00:01:43
    here why does she need Vander here I
  • 00:01:45
    thought they didn't have much of a
  • 00:01:45
    relationship why do Jinx physically make
  • 00:01:47
    two chairs representing her identities
  • 00:01:48
    why did she decorate the powder chair
  • 00:01:50
    with these specific decorations with
  • 00:01:52
    these designs with this aesthetic and
  • 00:01:53
    then the same for the Jinx chair why the
  • 00:01:55
    feathers Etc and why chairs why sitting
  • 00:01:57
    and why does she do the dead Caitlyn
  • 00:01:59
    fake out why is she treating VI this way
  • 00:02:01
    why the cupcake why was vice offered to
  • 00:02:03
    leave piltover and zhan the one thing
  • 00:02:04
    that gave Jinx Paws why did she gags
  • 00:02:06
    tickle and Caitlyn but not VI and then
  • 00:02:08
    other questions to what was her plan for
  • 00:02:09
    the night how did she think this would
  • 00:02:11
    go what would happen if I had killed
  • 00:02:13
    Caitlyn what happened with silco if I
  • 00:02:14
    does then lesoko really never gonna give
  • 00:02:16
    Jinx to them or is he lying is there a
  • 00:02:18
    chance that he was going to shoot Jinx
  • 00:02:19
    here and not VI and then also questions
  • 00:02:20
    about individual lines what does nothing
  • 00:02:22
    ever stay dead mean what does are we
  • 00:02:24
    still sisters mean what is but you
  • 00:02:25
    changed to me what does your perfect
  • 00:02:27
    mean what does will show them mean and
  • 00:02:28
    I'm including questions here that if
  • 00:02:30
    we're being perfectly honest are
  • 00:02:31
    probably totally meaningless details in
  • 00:02:33
    the scene why does the scene take place
  • 00:02:34
    in the dark why the candles why put a
  • 00:02:35
    smiley face on Caitlyn's gag why is this
  • 00:02:37
    guy red here what's the star meaning
  • 00:02:38
    behind the whole Shimmer aided scuffle
  • 00:02:40
    with Kate why did Jinx have the lighter
  • 00:02:42
    here what are each of these monsters and
  • 00:02:44
    why the order what about their colors
  • 00:02:46
    why is it by shouting out Mom and Dad if
  • 00:02:47
    we never really met them what's with the
  • 00:02:49
    gigantic Vine mouth and the gigantic
  • 00:02:51
    Circle mouth and a lot of these
  • 00:02:52
    questions are going to be kind of stupid
  • 00:02:54
    kind of meaningless they're not going to
  • 00:02:55
    matter but questions are your only tools
  • 00:02:58
    to understand anything asking questions
  • 00:03:00
    forces you to notice each little thing
  • 00:03:02
    that is unexplained which really means
  • 00:03:04
    identifying what could fall into the
  • 00:03:06
    scope of your theory or your
  • 00:03:07
    investigation you're not necessarily
  • 00:03:08
    trying to answer these questions you're
  • 00:03:10
    taking note of everything that is in the
  • 00:03:12
    scope of your data and these questions
  • 00:03:14
    could become relevant once you know a
  • 00:03:15
    little bit more they could be a starting
  • 00:03:17
    point there could be some little bit of
  • 00:03:18
    evidence that becomes relevant later on
  • 00:03:20
    they could connect your investigation to
  • 00:03:22
    some other important topic or whatever
  • 00:03:23
    it's not always necessary to like
  • 00:03:25
    literally write out an endless list and
  • 00:03:26
    push yourself to ask more and more and
  • 00:03:28
    more but the more you notice that's
  • 00:03:29
    unexplained the more tools you will have
  • 00:03:31
    to build your theory and let me be clear
  • 00:03:33
    here even if you think you know the
  • 00:03:35
    answer still ask the question those
  • 00:03:37
    answers you think you have you don't
  • 00:03:38
    know if you're going to sickle them
  • 00:03:39
    throughout your investigation you may
  • 00:03:40
    find flaws you may develop them more or
  • 00:03:42
    you may find entirely different answers
  • 00:03:43
    that you like much better so still voice
  • 00:03:44
    the questions and there's gonna be the
  • 00:03:45
    case whenever I talk about questions in
  • 00:03:47
    this video when you are in question mode
  • 00:03:48
    be in question mode forget about answers
  • 00:03:50
    or no answers it's always worth just
  • 00:03:52
    asking the questions anyway so that is
  • 00:03:54
    rule number one ask about everything
  • 00:03:55
    asked why about everything specifically
  • 00:03:57
    because at this stage of your
  • 00:03:58
    understanding you really need to be
  • 00:03:59
    viewing every everything is potentially
  • 00:04:00
    having a cause even if it doesn't
  • 00:04:02
    because you haven't begun your
  • 00:04:04
    investigation yet you don't know that
  • 00:04:05
    yet and why is the type of question that
  • 00:04:07
    probes our causes it is the best
  • 00:04:08
    question to ask ask why about everything
  • 00:04:11
    that is rule number one rule number two
  • 00:04:13
    is stop asking why about anything it's a
  • 00:04:16
    bad question okay let me explain okay so
  • 00:04:18
    the real rule number two is this ask
  • 00:04:20
    what not why and I see this as without a
  • 00:04:24
    doubt the most important rule of
  • 00:04:26
    analysis this rule or tip or whatever
  • 00:04:28
    you want to call this is what changes
  • 00:04:29
    everything if you take away one thing
  • 00:04:31
    from this video to use and how you think
  • 00:04:32
    about things it should be this so before
  • 00:04:34
    I explain it it's gonna be really
  • 00:04:35
    helpful to see examples first so here's
  • 00:04:36
    an example of this principle in action
  • 00:04:38
    or maybe an inaction I made it short
  • 00:04:40
    about the animal symbolism in Arcane and
  • 00:04:43
    I titled it with a why question why is
  • 00:04:45
    jinx a monkey meaning why is jinx
  • 00:04:47
    associated with monkey imagery and
  • 00:04:48
    Arcane and I got this answer in a
  • 00:04:50
    comment it's because Jinx was associated
  • 00:04:52
    with a monkey in get Jinx the music
  • 00:04:54
    video this is true but this does not
  • 00:04:56
    further my understanding in any way how
  • 00:04:58
    did I ask the question in the short I
  • 00:04:59
    didn't ask why I drink some monkey I ask
  • 00:05:01
    well what is a monkey what are the
  • 00:05:03
    characteristics of a monkey playful
  • 00:05:05
    chaotic wild oh Suddenly I See The
  • 00:05:07
    Parallel Jinx also has these
  • 00:05:08
    characteristics why is Saron an eye
  • 00:05:10
    response but he is not an eye in the
  • 00:05:12
    books that is true that does not further
  • 00:05:14
    my understanding how did I ask the
  • 00:05:15
    question in the short what is an i what
  • 00:05:18
    is seeing what does it feel like to be
  • 00:05:20
    watched what is the connection between
  • 00:05:21
    this All-Seeing Eye and the All-Seeing
  • 00:05:24
    Eye that is taking me places we are on
  • 00:05:26
    our way before I even get to the
  • 00:05:27
    question mark what as a line of inquiry
  • 00:05:29
    more often not necessarily but more
  • 00:05:31
    often puts you in a knowledge Gathering
  • 00:05:33
    mental mode why can put you in a
  • 00:05:36
    knowledge Gathering mode but it's also
  • 00:05:38
    often just an exclamation of I'm
  • 00:05:40
    confused this thing is confusing there's
  • 00:05:42
    something I don't understand here now
  • 00:05:43
    what do I do and that's why you get all
  • 00:05:45
    these weird null answers because
  • 00:05:47
    confusion is uncomfortable something is
  • 00:05:49
    out of place having to exclaim a
  • 00:05:51
    question is a frustration it's an itch
  • 00:05:52
    and really anything that scratches that
  • 00:05:54
    itch that works for me as long as I stop
  • 00:05:56
    itching hey man that's good enough for
  • 00:05:58
    me that's fine I'm I'm not looking for
  • 00:06:00
    more understanding I'm looking for
  • 00:06:02
    relief from the pain of my confusion
  • 00:06:04
    this is why why questions tend to be
  • 00:06:05
    taken as so open-ended that they can
  • 00:06:07
    easily lead down unproductive roads they
  • 00:06:09
    can lead anywhere as long as it stops
  • 00:06:10
    the itch but not so with what questions
  • 00:06:12
    or at least not so with good what
  • 00:06:14
    questions good what questions will take
  • 00:06:16
    you someplace before you've even
  • 00:06:17
    finished saying the question and by the
  • 00:06:18
    time you're done answering your watch
  • 00:06:20
    you'll find otherwise you possibly could
  • 00:06:22
    have asked are already answered the what
  • 00:06:24
    obliterates the why
  • 00:06:26
    aside from just the inefficiency and
  • 00:06:28
    ineffectiveness of why questions there's
  • 00:06:30
    another crucial benefit of starting
  • 00:06:31
    analysis in what mode there's word you
  • 00:06:33
    probably hear me using a lot in my
  • 00:06:34
    videos which is speculative and I know
  • 00:06:36
    it's an odd word to use with analysis
  • 00:06:38
    because a lot of analysis a lot of
  • 00:06:39
    theory is almost by definition pure
  • 00:06:41
    speculation we're all just thinking
  • 00:06:43
    thoughts and making random observations
  • 00:06:44
    and deductions until something
  • 00:06:45
    interesting and relevant pops out right
  • 00:06:47
    and yeah that's true on some level but
  • 00:06:49
    there's a really important divide for me
  • 00:06:50
    when I'm thinking about anything between
  • 00:06:51
    the point at which building a theory or
  • 00:06:53
    an idea is making use of just what is
  • 00:06:55
    just the facts or just abstractions that
  • 00:06:58
    are so close to the facts or social
  • 00:06:59
    self-evident that they themselves can be
  • 00:07:01
    considered factual and at what point you
  • 00:07:04
    start building connections and making
  • 00:07:05
    deductions or inductions beyond the
  • 00:07:07
    facts beyond what just is AKA the stage
  • 00:07:10
    where you start making abstractions that
  • 00:07:11
    can be argued with that can be seen
  • 00:07:13
    differently that can be wrong what I'm
  • 00:07:14
    trying to highlight here is that
  • 00:07:15
    eventually theories will get into
  • 00:07:17
    speculative territory that is the nature
  • 00:07:19
    of theories but if you can start with
  • 00:07:21
    steps that are so grounded in just what
  • 00:07:23
    is that they cannot be wrong you will
  • 00:07:26
    end up with better theories even though
  • 00:07:28
    granted they are still speculative at
  • 00:07:29
    the end of the day all theories are
  • 00:07:30
    speculative but it's like that Indiana
  • 00:07:31
    Jones scene where he's stepping on the
  • 00:07:32
    tiles and try not to fall into the abyss
  • 00:07:34
    it is exponentially beneficial how much
  • 00:07:37
    I can help your theories to start with
  • 00:07:38
    instead of just jumping on whatever
  • 00:07:40
    random tiles that seem interesting to
  • 00:07:41
    you to start with three tiles you know
  • 00:07:43
    have completely Solid Ground beneath
  • 00:07:46
    them if your first few steps are not
  • 00:07:48
    speculative at all if your first steps
  • 00:07:50
    are so grounded in what is that they
  • 00:07:52
    cannot be wrong you will be on a better
  • 00:07:54
    track for the next steps that's what
  • 00:07:56
    what questions are giving reasons
  • 00:07:58
    answering was it's doing your best to
  • 00:08:00
    identify or invent connections between
  • 00:08:02
    things which anyone can do in any number
  • 00:08:04
    of ways but answering what is defining
  • 00:08:07
    just what you see and the closer you are
  • 00:08:09
    to definition to focusing on information
  • 00:08:10
    where you cannot be wrong the closer you
  • 00:08:12
    will be defining truth through your
  • 00:08:14
    theorizing and by the way this principle
  • 00:08:15
    I did not make it up
  • 00:08:19
    immediately
  • 00:08:22
    the trained mine avoids the whole thing
  • 00:08:26
    it's true he wants to find out why but
  • 00:08:28
    he knows that that way is looking today
  • 00:08:30
    the train line
  • 00:08:33
    just it's fine what is going on here
  • 00:08:35
    what is going on here
  • 00:08:37
    you see the untrained mind this is
  • 00:08:39
    astounded as I work I say careful it's
  • 00:08:42
    paralyzed the train line forgets about
  • 00:08:45
    the astonishment and all business but
  • 00:08:47
    just think what is going on can we pray
  • 00:08:49
    is there anything here
  • 00:08:51
    instead of running all around answering
  • 00:08:53
    wise we just took these facts and said
  • 00:08:56
    what does these facts say what's the
  • 00:08:58
    what's your new on the period many times
  • 00:09:00
    wants to define the fact that
  • 00:09:03
    I know whenever people are complimenting
  • 00:09:05
    my analysis stuff and I'm going no
  • 00:09:06
    seriously it's not me all credit to my
  • 00:09:08
    teachers and they're like yeah yeah he's
  • 00:09:10
    being modest that recording is from
  • 00:09:11
    1971. I've heard ask what not why all my
  • 00:09:14
    life it was a mantra in my academic
  • 00:09:16
    community and I actually just want to go
  • 00:09:17
    back to that recording for a second when
  • 00:09:18
    teacher 5 is talking about this he uses
  • 00:09:20
    an example from Aristotle that's really
  • 00:09:22
    great at illustrating what I've just
  • 00:09:23
    been talking about I don't know what
  • 00:09:24
    he's quoting from I don't even know if
  • 00:09:25
    he's remembering the case correctly this
  • 00:09:26
    wasn't like a prepared lecture or
  • 00:09:28
    anything it was just a recording of an
  • 00:09:29
    improperative discussion with the
  • 00:09:30
    students but anyway the Casey's
  • 00:09:31
    referencing is that Aristotle saw a
  • 00:09:33
    group of black people who had children
  • 00:09:35
    who were white and then those white
  • 00:09:36
    children grew up and had children who
  • 00:09:38
    were black black
  • 00:09:41
    yeah it is
  • 00:10:21
    that's what it is
  • 00:10:33
    it was right
  • 00:10:35
    you see Aristotle was right why was he
  • 00:10:37
    right because just with his intellect he
  • 00:10:39
    was able to know hey there has to be
  • 00:10:41
    something in here
  • 00:10:42
    now he didn't know what a Jew was but it
  • 00:10:45
    was intelligent to know they're ready to
  • 00:10:47
    be on the trail of the team see he knew
  • 00:10:49
    how to be there somewhere it was closer
  • 00:10:51
    than anybody else before
  • 00:10:54
    you know what I mean then when when
  • 00:10:56
    Linda made the Expressions
  • 00:11:07
    [Music]
  • 00:11:15
    [Music]
  • 00:11:23
    we see that there must be black inside
  • 00:11:25
    the White it has to be that way well
  • 00:11:36
    I know he's saying where not what the
  • 00:11:39
    wording doesn't actually matter it's not
  • 00:11:40
    important to say the word what some good
  • 00:11:41
    why questions are really what questions
  • 00:11:43
    some bad what questions are really why
  • 00:11:44
    questions Etc but anyway definition is
  • 00:11:46
    the focus here what questions lead us to
  • 00:11:48
    definitions not theories and then
  • 00:11:50
    sometimes the definition itself will be
  • 00:11:52
    enough and sometimes definitions will
  • 00:11:53
    just lead to a much better Theory a
  • 00:11:55
    theory built on a much firmer Foundation
  • 00:11:57
    last point on what questions I've
  • 00:11:58
    referenced this a bit already but the
  • 00:12:00
    best what questions are already starting
  • 00:12:01
    to Define in my Lord of the Rings versus
  • 00:12:03
    Arcane video I asked what is the
  • 00:12:05
    underlying frustration behind the
  • 00:12:06
    heart's criticisms that is already
  • 00:12:08
    acknowledging that even if I disagree
  • 00:12:10
    with the heart's criticisms what's
  • 00:12:11
    prompting these questions is real
  • 00:12:13
    something real is causing frustration
  • 00:12:15
    for this person and this question
  • 00:12:16
    accurately characterizes the criticisms
  • 00:12:18
    as a result of frustration and even
  • 00:12:20
    worse Clues to identifying the nature of
  • 00:12:22
    that frustration in this harmony short I
  • 00:12:24
    asked what is the function of telling
  • 00:12:25
    not showing by this character that's
  • 00:12:26
    defining what we're seeing as telling
  • 00:12:28
    not showing I'm not asking why are we
  • 00:12:30
    breaking this rule my question is
  • 00:12:31
    accurately identifying that there is a
  • 00:12:32
    function being served here in the r our
  • 00:12:35
    video I ask what traits are we seeing
  • 00:12:37
    Showcase in ROM's introduction that is
  • 00:12:39
    already defining one essential element
  • 00:12:40
    of the functionality of a character
  • 00:12:41
    intro scene and this is also implying
  • 00:12:43
    that traits we see here have
  • 00:12:44
    functionality for what we will later
  • 00:12:46
    learn about who this guy is questions
  • 00:12:47
    are not and should not just be
  • 00:12:50
    exclamations of ignorance questions are
  • 00:12:52
    an opportunity to identify the features
  • 00:12:54
    of what you're examining that is why you
  • 00:12:56
    will go far if you can endlessly ask
  • 00:12:57
    questions on a topic you're finding all
  • 00:12:59
    these things that stand out that might
  • 00:13:00
    be clues for you later on and certain
  • 00:13:03
    types of questions what questions
  • 00:13:04
    specifically Orient you towards firmer
  • 00:13:06
    foundations to build theories on and
  • 00:13:08
    this has to do with the Mind mode they
  • 00:13:09
    urge you towards we've departed from
  • 00:13:11
    proclaiming hopeless painful ignorance
  • 00:13:12
    here and instead we've gone to the much
  • 00:13:14
    more productive knowledge Gathering mode
  • 00:13:16
    and the other Advantage is all the
  • 00:13:17
    implicit facts that the best what
  • 00:13:19
    questions are premised on what questions
  • 00:13:21
    lead you to take Rock Solid First Steps
  • 00:13:23
    in building a theory they keep you from
  • 00:13:25
    being wildly speculative and they focus
  • 00:13:27
    you on just defining what you see and at
  • 00:13:29
    that stage in the process what you're
  • 00:13:30
    focusing on you cannot be wrong at that
  • 00:13:32
    stage you are just looking at the facts
  • 00:13:34
    and because because of that where those
  • 00:13:35
    first steps lead will often just be
  • 00:13:37
    truer and just to caveat here I'm not
  • 00:13:39
    really saying don't ask why questions
  • 00:13:40
    why questions can be great questions
  • 00:13:42
    they can point to really strong
  • 00:13:43
    contradictions they can also just be
  • 00:13:45
    really great what questions in Disguise
  • 00:13:46
    so keep asking all questions but
  • 00:13:48
    specifically ask what not why Focus more
  • 00:13:50
    give more value to what questions those
  • 00:13:52
    are going to be the best questions you
  • 00:13:54
    can ask like I said earlier this is the
  • 00:13:56
    most useful analytical tool in my
  • 00:13:58
    experience I understand it can be a
  • 00:13:59
    weird principle to hear at first it can
  • 00:14:01
    sound a bit arbitrary like it's a
  • 00:14:02
    distinction without a difference but the
  • 00:14:03
    more you see it in action the more you
  • 00:14:05
    will see just how important it is if
  • 00:14:06
    there's any one thing to talk about in
  • 00:14:08
    this video that by itself can completely
  • 00:14:09
    transform and supercharge your
  • 00:14:11
    analytical skills it is getting good at
  • 00:14:13
    this if you like my content it is by far
  • 00:14:15
    the tool I use the most if you ask me to
  • 00:14:17
    list 20 times off the top of my head
  • 00:14:18
    where I use this in my videos I could do
  • 00:14:20
    it easily I could do three examples I
  • 00:14:21
    could do 50 examples actually I will do
  • 00:14:23
    that here feel free to pause if you want
  • 00:14:24
    you don't have to just to show evidence
  • 00:14:26
    of how useful and how pervasive this is
  • 00:14:27
    this rule really is everything for me
  • 00:14:29
    okay so moving on next topic the brown
  • 00:14:32
    throated thrush in this video we're
  • 00:14:34
    going to moving through the stages of
  • 00:14:35
    analysis here that's going to be the
  • 00:14:37
    rough structure so we just talked about
  • 00:14:38
    questions but you can't really get
  • 00:14:39
    started with answers without knowing
  • 00:14:41
    what type of answer you're looking for
  • 00:14:42
    what are we trying to accomplish through
  • 00:14:44
    this analysis I have five points here
  • 00:14:46
    the first two have to do with this guy
  • 00:14:48
    Richard Feynman famous physicist and
  • 00:14:50
    prankster and lock picker and Bongo
  • 00:14:52
    player worked on the Manhattan Project
  • 00:14:53
    Nobel Prize Challenger disaster Etc
  • 00:14:55
    famous guy a really cool guy listen to
  • 00:14:56
    the story about his childhood and the
  • 00:14:58
    next Monday we were playing in a field
  • 00:15:00
    and the kids said to me say what's that
  • 00:15:03
    bird what's the name of do you know the
  • 00:15:04
    name Outburst says I'm the slightest
  • 00:15:05
    idea
  • 00:15:06
    he said well it's a brown-throated
  • 00:15:08
    thrush he says your father doesn't teach
  • 00:15:10
    you anything but my father had already
  • 00:15:12
    taught me about the names of birds he
  • 00:15:15
    once we walked and he says that's a
  • 00:15:17
    brown sword of thrush he says know what
  • 00:15:18
    the name of that bird it's a brown
  • 00:15:20
    Throne of the thrush
  • 00:15:21
    in German it's called a freaking plague
  • 00:15:24
    in Chinese it's called a king long pong
  • 00:15:27
    in Japanese
  • 00:15:28
    and so on and when you know all the
  • 00:15:31
    names in every language of that bird you
  • 00:15:34
    know nothing but absolutely nothing
  • 00:15:35
    about the bird
  • 00:15:37
    then we would go on and talk about the
  • 00:15:39
    pecking in the feathers so I had learned
  • 00:15:41
    already that names though
  • 00:15:42
    constitute knowledge names are not ideas
  • 00:15:46
    jargon is not ideas analysis is not
  • 00:15:49
    about making references to named ideas
  • 00:15:51
    and using jargon to translate a
  • 00:15:53
    phenomenon into some complex formulation
  • 00:15:54
    of what you could just easily describe
  • 00:15:56
    without any dragon that is not what
  • 00:15:57
    analysis should be analyzing something
  • 00:15:59
    should be about gaining knowledge it's
  • 00:16:00
    about advancing your understanding of
  • 00:16:02
    how something works or what the essence
  • 00:16:03
    of a thing is if you don't come out of
  • 00:16:05
    the process knowing more than you did
  • 00:16:07
    before you've wasted your time and
  • 00:16:08
    speaking in jargon if it's not helping
  • 00:16:10
    you with that if it's just referencing
  • 00:16:12
    named ideas as a flimsy replacement for
  • 00:16:14
    understanding that is not good enough
  • 00:16:15
    that is not knowing more about something
  • 00:16:16
    so in terms of the goals of the analysis
  • 00:16:18
    it is not that that is not what you're
  • 00:16:20
    trying to do in terms of answers it
  • 00:16:22
    should not be about that it should not
  • 00:16:23
    be about looking for what to call things
  • 00:16:25
    second Point similar point but I want to
  • 00:16:26
    highlight something different we have
  • 00:16:28
    another Richard Feynman childhood sorry
  • 00:16:29
    listen to this one one day when I was
  • 00:16:31
    playing with the little wagon for
  • 00:16:33
    children to pull around
  • 00:16:35
    it had a ball in it I remember this and
  • 00:16:38
    had a ball in it and I pulled the wagon
  • 00:16:40
    and I noticed something about the way
  • 00:16:42
    the ball moved so I went to my father
  • 00:16:44
    and I said say pop
  • 00:16:48
    I noticed something
  • 00:16:50
    when I pull the wagon the ball rolls to
  • 00:16:52
    the back of the wagon it rushes to the
  • 00:16:54
    back of the wagon and when I'm pulling
  • 00:16:55
    along and I suddenly stop the ball rolls
  • 00:16:57
    to the front of the wagon I said why is
  • 00:16:58
    that
  • 00:16:59
    and he said that he says nobody knows
  • 00:17:04
    he said the general principle is that
  • 00:17:06
    things that are moving try to keep on
  • 00:17:08
    moving and things that are standing
  • 00:17:10
    still tend to stand still unless you
  • 00:17:12
    push on them hard
  • 00:17:14
    and he says this tendency is called
  • 00:17:16
    inertia but nobody knows why it's true
  • 00:17:18
    so this is another fantastic stressing
  • 00:17:20
    of the difference between names and
  • 00:17:21
    ideas but I want to focus on the step of
  • 00:17:23
    saying no one knows why but we call the
  • 00:17:25
    pattern inertia this is such a perfect
  • 00:17:27
    summing up of the stages of ethereum
  • 00:17:29
    often really what a theory is at the end
  • 00:17:30
    of the day what you are doing is
  • 00:17:32
    creating models that are proximate
  • 00:17:34
    reality and often that is all you can do
  • 00:17:36
    I'm not a physicist but when we went
  • 00:17:38
    from Aristotelian physics to whatever
  • 00:17:39
    was next Galilean physics Newtonian
  • 00:17:41
    physics it's not like science had
  • 00:17:42
    defined the reality of what motion is
  • 00:17:44
    and then it was wrong and noon was right
  • 00:17:46
    and then Newton was wrong and Einstein
  • 00:17:48
    was right no everyone had similar data
  • 00:17:50
    sets and these were models they were
  • 00:17:52
    patterns the human mind imposed on
  • 00:17:54
    reality that helped us to understand
  • 00:17:55
    what was happening each one was getting
  • 00:17:58
    closer and closer to explaining a more
  • 00:18:00
    and more complete segment of that data
  • 00:18:02
    set but theories explaining something
  • 00:18:04
    are not the thing they are
  • 00:18:06
    approximations they are models that help
  • 00:18:07
    us explain more of the data and
  • 00:18:09
    sometimes the more your models develop
  • 00:18:11
    the best models those may start to point
  • 00:18:13
    at what the thing is but even if your
  • 00:18:16
    theories don't get there you've
  • 00:18:17
    accomplished a lot just by improving
  • 00:18:19
    your models when I'm defining
  • 00:18:20
    Cliffhangers or beauty or the bad movie
  • 00:18:22
    Trend or masculinity or talking about
  • 00:18:24
    some system of writing a powerful scene
  • 00:18:26
    or what makes a good character or how to
  • 00:18:28
    evaluate whether a story is good or not
  • 00:18:30
    I am absolutely not saying this is the
  • 00:18:32
    end-all be-all this is what the thing is
  • 00:18:34
    no I'm trying to give a model to help us
  • 00:18:36
    understand more of the data I'm looking
  • 00:18:38
    for a more useful approximation of
  • 00:18:40
    what's Happening than what I started
  • 00:18:41
    with I am not trying to say why
  • 00:18:43
    Richard's ball went to the back of the
  • 00:18:44
    wagon I finding more accurate ways of
  • 00:18:46
    describing the model the pattern that we
  • 00:18:48
    call inertia worth mentioning at this
  • 00:18:50
    point there's a very well-known saying
  • 00:18:51
    in talmudic study
  • 00:18:53
    it translates to these and these are
  • 00:18:56
    both words of the Living God and what
  • 00:18:57
    that means is that when you're working
  • 00:18:59
    within an area like tomirik law or
  • 00:19:01
    storytelling that is not a hard science
  • 00:19:02
    good theories are not mutually exclusive
  • 00:19:05
    even when they contradict each other and
  • 00:19:07
    this is because they are models you will
  • 00:19:09
    often end up with two models that are
  • 00:19:10
    both logically sound that disagree with
  • 00:19:12
    one another and your job ends there
  • 00:19:13
    there's is know which one wins which one
  • 00:19:15
    is the truth no both your theoretical
  • 00:19:17
    models are words of the Living God so to
  • 00:19:19
    speak they're good models they make
  • 00:19:20
    sense they Advance your understanding
  • 00:19:22
    and they're logical that is good that is
  • 00:19:24
    exactly what you're looking for a full
  • 00:19:25
    stop and by the way they both do have to
  • 00:19:27
    be logical you can come up with two
  • 00:19:28
    models that are contradictory and then
  • 00:19:29
    you find flaws in one of them or one of
  • 00:19:31
    them there's just better it's more
  • 00:19:32
    elegant than the other one and then
  • 00:19:33
    those are not both words of the Living
  • 00:19:34
    God so to speak they're not both equally
  • 00:19:36
    useful and then yeah one of them did win
  • 00:19:38
    and that's also fine but what I'm trying
  • 00:19:39
    to say is often just a waste of time
  • 00:19:40
    trying to figure out like no which one
  • 00:19:42
    of these ideas is beauty which is the
  • 00:19:44
    end-all be-all reality of what a
  • 00:19:46
    cliffhanger is or what makes a good
  • 00:19:47
    character finding the one theory that
  • 00:19:48
    works to the exclusion of all the other
  • 00:19:50
    theories and why all the other theories
  • 00:19:51
    are wrong it's a waste of time and let
  • 00:19:53
    me take this point even further here
  • 00:19:54
    even when you're not juggling multiple
  • 00:19:56
    ideas anytime you're looking to explain
  • 00:19:58
    data and have developed a working Theory
  • 00:20:00
    what makes a compelling character is X
  • 00:20:02
    is development let's say if someone says
  • 00:20:04
    well I think R2D2 is a good character
  • 00:20:06
    and he doesn't have any development your
  • 00:20:08
    response to that should not be R2D2 is
  • 00:20:10
    not a good character because character
  • 00:20:12
    is all about development so you're wrong
  • 00:20:13
    you your response should be to take this
  • 00:20:15
    as an opportunity to discover the other
  • 00:20:17
    person's model what makes a good
  • 00:20:18
    character and that may mean that you end
  • 00:20:20
    up with two contradictory models that
  • 00:20:21
    are both words of the Living God or
  • 00:20:22
    maybe you'll see your friends model and
  • 00:20:24
    compare that to your own model and
  • 00:20:25
    you'll discover some way to synthesize
  • 00:20:26
    the two but the point is finding a model
  • 00:20:28
    and using that to invalidate data that
  • 00:20:30
    is the reverse of what you're trying to
  • 00:20:31
    do you're trying to explain the data and
  • 00:20:32
    in the Arts how people feel is part of
  • 00:20:34
    the data set okay Point number three
  • 00:20:36
    okay this is one that kind of fires me
  • 00:20:37
    up a bit when I'm talking about what
  • 00:20:39
    questions and definition I am not
  • 00:20:42
    talking about dictionaries dictionaries
  • 00:20:44
    are reference tools the goal of its
  • 00:20:46
    contents are to help you to identify
  • 00:20:48
    what words refer to the goal is not to
  • 00:20:50
    give you a deep understanding of what
  • 00:20:51
    the concept behind a word is example if
  • 00:20:54
    you're trying to understand a mental
  • 00:20:55
    health condition like depression let's
  • 00:20:57
    say you should not look it up in the
  • 00:20:58
    dictionary you should look it up in the
  • 00:21:00
    DSM you should talk to people who work
  • 00:21:01
    in Psychology and Psychiatry and
  • 00:21:03
    Neuroscience you should talk to people
  • 00:21:04
    who have suffered from depression or
  • 00:21:05
    have friends and loved ones who've
  • 00:21:06
    suffer from it mental health
  • 00:21:07
    professionals didn't go to school and
  • 00:21:09
    just look up every condition
  • 00:21:10
    Merriam-Webster and get handed a diploma
  • 00:21:12
    obviously so same with everything if
  • 00:21:14
    you're analyzing a scene with a
  • 00:21:15
    cliffhanger and you realize you're at a
  • 00:21:16
    point where you have to Define it do not
  • 00:21:18
    use a dictionary use your brain you do
  • 00:21:20
    not need help to identify Cliffhangers
  • 00:21:21
    which the dictionary definition may help
  • 00:21:23
    you to do you are trying to understand
  • 00:21:24
    the idea of it and you have all the data
  • 00:21:27
    you need to think about it I.E your own
  • 00:21:28
    experience of it your own experience
  • 00:21:30
    hearing people talk about it other
  • 00:21:31
    people's opinions of it so your job is
  • 00:21:32
    to figure that out for yourself I could
  • 00:21:34
    see using a dictionary definition as
  • 00:21:35
    part of your data but the idea that a
  • 00:21:36
    dictionary has some Authority when it
  • 00:21:38
    comes to definitions specifically
  • 00:21:39
    definitions of complex things I could
  • 00:21:41
    not disagree with that more on a similar
  • 00:21:43
    note 0.4 and this one is controversial
  • 00:21:45
    hold off on using other people's
  • 00:21:46
    definitions until you've worked on it
  • 00:21:48
    yourself at least a little bit first of
  • 00:21:49
    all just practically no two analyzes are
  • 00:21:51
    the same and that may severely impact
  • 00:21:53
    whether it relates to your investigation
  • 00:21:54
    or not and some ways you might not even
  • 00:21:56
    realize like if Aristotle has an idea of
  • 00:21:58
    beauty he is dealing with entirely
  • 00:21:59
    different data than I am and probably a
  • 00:22:01
    different emotional lexicon as well and
  • 00:22:02
    this is all fitting to some bigger
  • 00:22:04
    General ideas of what beauty is in the
  • 00:22:05
    natural world and other things about how
  • 00:22:07
    nature works and how humans work all
  • 00:22:09
    these other things that have impacted
  • 00:22:10
    his analysis and his goals are probably
  • 00:22:12
    different than ours he is doing
  • 00:22:13
    philosophy for our investigation we're
  • 00:22:15
    just trying to become better writers two
  • 00:22:16
    completely different investigations so
  • 00:22:18
    if you have a question like this and you
  • 00:22:19
    start with someone else's answer you may
  • 00:22:20
    throw yourself off the scent of the
  • 00:22:21
    Beast you're really chasing and by the
  • 00:22:23
    way that may be absolutely clear this
  • 00:22:24
    applies equally to me and my YouTube
  • 00:22:25
    videos as well if you're trying to think
  • 00:22:27
    of something don't let me impact your
  • 00:22:28
    thought process if I say something about
  • 00:22:30
    it that resonates with you that's fine
  • 00:22:31
    but I encourage you hold off and think
  • 00:22:33
    about it on your own develop an idea
  • 00:22:34
    that's unique to you and how you think
  • 00:22:36
    and then you can compare it to my idea
  • 00:22:37
    or to other people's ideas compare them
  • 00:22:39
    to yours see if they fit see if they're
  • 00:22:40
    better than what you came up with
  • 00:22:41
    basically you lose Nothing by waiting
  • 00:22:43
    and you do lose something by not waiting
  • 00:22:45
    you may lose the opportunity to develop
  • 00:22:46
    your understanding of your own unique
  • 00:22:47
    worldview which is a pretty significant
  • 00:22:49
    thing to lose and that is my premise
  • 00:22:50
    here that everyone already has ideas
  • 00:22:51
    about all these topics we talk about
  • 00:22:53
    casually these ideas are in the back of
  • 00:22:54
    your mind they're semi-conscious they're
  • 00:22:55
    totally not developed and that is
  • 00:22:57
    precisely what is worth exploring what
  • 00:22:58
    is worth developing you person listening
  • 00:23:00
    to this do you have a way of using the
  • 00:23:01
    word beauty or the word Cliffhanger that
  • 00:23:03
    operates by some unconscious rules and
  • 00:23:05
    your analysis is going to largely
  • 00:23:06
    consist of sharpening that really rough
  • 00:23:07
    idea you already have into something
  • 00:23:09
    more definitive more profound whatever
  • 00:23:10
    and the best part will be that that idea
  • 00:23:12
    is completely unique to you it has all
  • 00:23:14
    these nuances that come from only how
  • 00:23:16
    you think from experiences that only you
  • 00:23:18
    have why sacrifice the opportunity to
  • 00:23:19
    see this uniquely creative thing you do
  • 00:23:21
    without even realizing it by running to
  • 00:23:23
    someone else's idea first and letting
  • 00:23:24
    the authority of that person overshadow
  • 00:23:26
    whatever beautiful snowflake of an idea
  • 00:23:28
    you have in your own beautiful brain no
  • 00:23:30
    sharpen that unique idea only you are
  • 00:23:32
    capable of producing I want to hear that
  • 00:23:34
    you can always compare to other people's
  • 00:23:35
    theories and definitions later but you
  • 00:23:36
    really only have one chance to discover
  • 00:23:38
    your ideas undiluted with as little
  • 00:23:40
    outside influence as possible it's a
  • 00:23:42
    special opportunity do not waste it so
  • 00:23:44
    that is one reason to hold off when
  • 00:23:45
    using other people's definitions second
  • 00:23:47
    reason almost as important maybe even
  • 00:23:49
    more important is that a large part of
  • 00:23:50
    the goal of analysis should be to become
  • 00:23:52
    better at analysis if you run into other
  • 00:23:54
    people's definitions it's like asking
  • 00:23:55
    someone else to do your squats for you
  • 00:23:57
    at the gym what are you doing you should
  • 00:23:58
    be trying to get better at thinking more
  • 00:24:00
    precise more creative more logical more
  • 00:24:01
    beautiful why let someone else have that
  • 00:24:03
    workout and that payoff and by the way
  • 00:24:04
    I'm not saying like don't read Aristotle
  • 00:24:06
    or expose yourself to anyone else's
  • 00:24:08
    definitions or World Views before we've
  • 00:24:09
    completely developed everything about
  • 00:24:10
    your own I'm saying when you're
  • 00:24:12
    analyzing something I'm saying when
  • 00:24:13
    you've said your sites a new thing to
  • 00:24:14
    analyze you're sitting down to think at
  • 00:24:16
    that moment hold off on other people's
  • 00:24:18
    definitions do your thing and then go
  • 00:24:19
    compare okay final point and this is a
  • 00:24:21
    minute point but it's been drilled into
  • 00:24:22
    me because it's a mistake that comes up
  • 00:24:24
    so often and so easily that I think it's
  • 00:24:26
    important to mention here a definition
  • 00:24:27
    that starts with that which is not a
  • 00:24:29
    definition what is a chair that which
  • 00:24:31
    you sit on what is inertia that which
  • 00:24:33
    makes things stay in motion what is a
  • 00:24:34
    cliffhanger that which makes me feel
  • 00:24:36
    suspense as a story ends if you're
  • 00:24:37
    thinking about what you're saying you're
  • 00:24:38
    using that witch so you don't have to
  • 00:24:40
    say what the thing actually is you're
  • 00:24:42
    skipping right to what it does so that
  • 00:24:43
    definition is not really defining it
  • 00:24:45
    it's defining its action or its
  • 00:24:46
    potentiality no what is a chair it is a
  • 00:24:49
    constructed raised service of a size and
  • 00:24:51
    Constitution designed and built to
  • 00:24:53
    support a certain human being something
  • 00:24:54
    like that what is inertia it is a
  • 00:24:56
    description of the pattern and physics
  • 00:24:58
    of the behavioral objects in motion that
  • 00:24:59
    they stay in motion what is a
  • 00:25:01
    cliffhanger it is an ending that's
  • 00:25:02
    rendered incomplete by withholding the
  • 00:25:04
    resolution of a major arc and that often
  • 00:25:07
    causes suspense but even if you
  • 00:25:09
    personally don't feel that emotion it's
  • 00:25:11
    still a cliffhanger and there are some
  • 00:25:12
    cases where you do feel suspended and
  • 00:25:14
    it's still not a cliffhanger just like
  • 00:25:15
    there's plenty of things you can sit on
  • 00:25:16
    that are not chairs so to sum up what
  • 00:25:18
    are you trying to accomplish with your
  • 00:25:19
    analysis what will the answers be like
  • 00:25:21
    one they will provide a deeper
  • 00:25:22
    understanding of what the thing is or
  • 00:25:24
    how it functions which means you are not
  • 00:25:26
    just naming something or referencing
  • 00:25:27
    names or translating into jargon you are
  • 00:25:29
    looking for a new understanding and if
  • 00:25:30
    you come out of your analysis without
  • 00:25:32
    that then you're not done you got more
  • 00:25:33
    work to do number two you are not
  • 00:25:35
    looking for the underlying reality the
  • 00:25:36
    be-all and all truth of what the
  • 00:25:38
    phenomenon is that you're investigating
  • 00:25:39
    you're looking to find a model that will
  • 00:25:41
    help you explain more of the data and
  • 00:25:42
    there may be multiple valid models and
  • 00:25:44
    they may even be contradictory but as
  • 00:25:46
    long as they're logically consistent and
  • 00:25:47
    advanced understanding that's exactly
  • 00:25:49
    where you want to be not necessarily to
  • 00:25:50
    go further than that number three do not
  • 00:25:52
    use dictionary definitions number four
  • 00:25:54
    hold off on other people's definitions
  • 00:25:56
    until you've done some work on your own
  • 00:25:58
    and both these points are about using
  • 00:25:59
    that opportunity for deeper
  • 00:26:00
    understanding sharpening UniQue Ideas
  • 00:26:01
    only you have that you can then compare
  • 00:26:03
    to ideas of other people and also it's
  • 00:26:05
    about getting better analysis by making
  • 00:26:07
    you do the thinking instead of leaving
  • 00:26:08
    it for something else to do and letting
  • 00:26:09
    that person get the practice and number
  • 00:26:11
    five don't fall into the that which trap
  • 00:26:12
    in your definitions it sounds like a
  • 00:26:14
    definition but you're just describing
  • 00:26:16
    what it does or what potentiality it has
  • 00:26:18
    and really avoiding talking about the
  • 00:26:19
    thing itself okay time for the next
  • 00:26:21
    stage getting stuck is the next stage of
  • 00:26:24
    analysis you've asked a bunch of
  • 00:26:25
    questions congratulations now it all
  • 00:26:27
    really doesn't make sense in all these
  • 00:26:29
    like terrifying and specific ways or
  • 00:26:31
    maybe you did make some headways still
  • 00:26:32
    you're gonna get stuck everyone gets
  • 00:26:33
    stuck it's part of the process so what
  • 00:26:35
    do you do when you're stuck obviously
  • 00:26:36
    what do you think I'm gonna say
  • 00:26:37
    Obviously you ask more questions but
  • 00:26:39
    specific questions or specific types of
  • 00:26:40
    questions so let me list six types of
  • 00:26:42
    questions I find to be particularly
  • 00:26:44
    effective at getting you unstuck or
  • 00:26:45
    getting you deeper into an investigation
  • 00:26:47
    here's the list just as a preview number
  • 00:26:49
    one contradictions number two pivot
  • 00:26:50
    Points number three incomplete
  • 00:26:51
    comparisons or incomplete contrast
  • 00:26:53
    number four what's extra number five
  • 00:26:54
    what's the address number six what must
  • 00:26:56
    you say so number one contradictions
  • 00:26:57
    I've talked about this quite a bit and
  • 00:26:59
    this is number one because it is the
  • 00:27:01
    most useful thing to find let me explain
  • 00:27:03
    what's going on here because it can be a
  • 00:27:04
    little counterintuitive contradictions
  • 00:27:06
    usually the reason people don't like
  • 00:27:07
    finding contradictions is that usually
  • 00:27:09
    they're a sign of error it's sloppy
  • 00:27:11
    writing sloppy reasoning sloppy argument
  • 00:27:13
    rhetoric deduction logic we end up with
  • 00:27:15
    conflicting components that expose the
  • 00:27:17
    shoddy development contradictions
  • 00:27:18
    usually end the discussion it shows
  • 00:27:20
    there's no ideas behind this it's all
  • 00:27:21
    farce but if there's a reason to assume
  • 00:27:24
    There's real wisdom behind what you're
  • 00:27:25
    analyzing then it's the opposite
  • 00:27:27
    contradiction is a sign of depth it's a
  • 00:27:29
    sign that there's more understanding to
  • 00:27:31
    be gained it's an x marks the spot great
  • 00:27:33
    ideas will be found right here here a
  • 00:27:35
    contradiction is a sign of your sloppy
  • 00:27:37
    thinking if anything there's a reason it
  • 00:27:38
    looks nonsensical to you and it's your
  • 00:27:40
    job to figure that out think about like
  • 00:27:41
    a queen sacrifice in chess Queen best
  • 00:27:42
    piece on the board you do not want to
  • 00:27:44
    give that pizza for free if it's a bad
  • 00:27:45
    player that's an error that sloppy
  • 00:27:47
    thinking if it's Magnus and you think
  • 00:27:49
    it's a nonsensical move that's on you
  • 00:27:50
    there's something you're not
  • 00:27:51
    understanding here and you probably want
  • 00:27:53
    to think twice before taking that Queen
  • 00:27:54
    so if a character is acting
  • 00:27:55
    inconsistently in a bad story sloppy
  • 00:27:58
    running there's nothing here next if a
  • 00:28:00
    character is acting inconsistently in a
  • 00:28:01
    great story and it's a great character a
  • 00:28:03
    compelling character a Threading here
  • 00:28:04
    does seem intentional then you better
  • 00:28:06
    start digging there is buried treasure
  • 00:28:08
    where you are standing and what I mean
  • 00:28:09
    by digging contradictions Force you
  • 00:28:11
    towards a more complex and nuanced
  • 00:28:13
    perspective this is classic teacher
  • 00:28:15
    number one first day of class this would
  • 00:28:16
    be the first thing you would teach he
  • 00:28:17
    called it subdividing when I let a rock
  • 00:28:19
    go it falls to the ground when I let my
  • 00:28:21
    balloon go it goes up into the sky
  • 00:28:22
    contradiction so what do you do
  • 00:28:24
    subdivide things that are heavier than
  • 00:28:25
    air fall things that are lighter than
  • 00:28:27
    air rise from there we get to buoyancy
  • 00:28:29
    and we realize it's not too conflicting
  • 00:28:30
    phenomena it is a single phenomenon that
  • 00:28:32
    is more nuanced than our previous
  • 00:28:33
    understanding Jinx says you change too
  • 00:28:35
    but Vai is the one who didn't change
  • 00:28:37
    subdivide we have reality reality and we
  • 00:28:39
    have Jinx reality in reality reality VI
  • 00:28:41
    didn't change but the way Jinx sees the
  • 00:28:43
    world VI won't randomly kill Kate She is
  • 00:28:45
    totally changed this proves it and
  • 00:28:46
    there's a more nuanced understanding of
  • 00:28:47
    the thing that is going on here or
  • 00:28:49
    Theory 2 VI hasn't changed in terms of
  • 00:28:51
    her love for powder but she has changed
  • 00:28:53
    in terms of her love for her sister
  • 00:28:55
    who's become someone different than
  • 00:28:56
    powder and here we also end up with a
  • 00:28:58
    more nuanced picture that shows us that
  • 00:28:59
    she has changed and she hasn't it's more
  • 00:29:01
    complex than we thought okay so question
  • 00:29:03
    two what's the pivot point I stole this
  • 00:29:05
    one from my brother you can thank him if
  • 00:29:06
    you're dealing with a sequence that's
  • 00:29:07
    hard to understand a sequence of any
  • 00:29:09
    kind sequence of events dialogue
  • 00:29:10
    sequence whatever anything ordered not
  • 00:29:13
    always but but sometimes you can
  • 00:29:14
    identify a point in the sequence when
  • 00:29:16
    something changes before this point it
  • 00:29:18
    was like this it was about this this was
  • 00:29:20
    the essence after this point it was
  • 00:29:21
    different it was about something else it
  • 00:29:23
    had a different Focus different Essence
  • 00:29:24
    and now that we found this pivot point
  • 00:29:25
    now we can ask what's the relationship
  • 00:29:27
    to how things were in the first half and
  • 00:29:28
    how things were in the second half
  • 00:29:29
    something changed what changed why did
  • 00:29:31
    it have this impact and also similar
  • 00:29:33
    contradictions you end up pushing
  • 00:29:34
    yourself to find nudity as well this is
  • 00:29:36
    the scene that powder changed into Jinx
  • 00:29:38
    we can talk about all the differences
  • 00:29:39
    but zeroing in on what the relationship
  • 00:29:40
    is from before to after it's forcing you
  • 00:29:43
    to Define really what did not change how
  • 00:29:44
    is this still one single person next one
  • 00:29:47
    is similar incomplete comparisons and
  • 00:29:48
    incomplete contrast take any two similar
  • 00:29:50
    elements that have even slightly
  • 00:29:52
    different outcomes are treated slightly
  • 00:29:53
    differently they're similar but they're
  • 00:29:55
    not identical and those seemingly my new
  • 00:29:57
    differences are going to be what
  • 00:29:58
    determines the difference in outcome and
  • 00:29:59
    then alternatively take any two opposite
  • 00:30:01
    elements that have the same outcome or
  • 00:30:03
    are treated the same or similarly
  • 00:30:04
    they're opposite but not completely
  • 00:30:06
    opposite not in every way and those
  • 00:30:07
    seemingly minute similarities are going
  • 00:30:09
    to be able to determine the similarity
  • 00:30:10
    and outcome examples for comparisons if
  • 00:30:12
    I'm trying to understand why or powder I
  • 00:30:14
    can look at them in terms of comparisons
  • 00:30:15
    to the other undercity kids we have the
  • 00:30:16
    full set of VI powder Echo clagra Milo
  • 00:30:19
    even Deckard they all started out pretty
  • 00:30:20
    similar but drastically different
  • 00:30:22
    outcomes so what determined these
  • 00:30:23
    differences in outcome by seeing the
  • 00:30:24
    details that don't exactly compare we
  • 00:30:26
    identify the possible routes to the
  • 00:30:27
    answers for example age is a difference
  • 00:30:29
    engagement style is another difference
  • 00:30:30
    relationships and other different
  • 00:30:31
    capability another difference now
  • 00:30:33
    examples for opposites Vander and silco
  • 00:30:35
    these two characters could not be more
  • 00:30:36
    different politically ethically in terms
  • 00:30:38
    of parenting even physically but they
  • 00:30:39
    have nearly identical outcomes so
  • 00:30:41
    similarities they both love their
  • 00:30:43
    daughters more than anything let's start
  • 00:30:44
    there or they were both leaders or they
  • 00:30:46
    were both from the lanes or they both
  • 00:30:47
    fought piltober all reasonable starting
  • 00:30:49
    points now we can examine all these
  • 00:30:50
    differences between the two characters
  • 00:30:52
    that we may think would change the
  • 00:30:53
    outcome that the similarities rendered
  • 00:30:55
    inconsequential and then we can think
  • 00:30:56
    about why they're inconsequential
  • 00:30:58
    another example Echo Heimerdinger could
  • 00:30:59
    not be more different in terms of where
  • 00:31:01
    they're from age experience physically
  • 00:31:03
    philosophically how they see time
  • 00:31:04
    relationships Fame but newly identical
  • 00:31:06
    outcomes they are the only characters
  • 00:31:07
    that end up with completely positive
  • 00:31:09
    endings to their arcs so similarities
  • 00:31:10
    they're both scientists they both value
  • 00:31:12
    life more than anyone else in the show
  • 00:31:14
    they both turn their backs in their
  • 00:31:15
    societies great starting points okay
  • 00:31:16
    number four what's extra what doesn't
  • 00:31:18
    need to be here the boxing scene what is
  • 00:31:20
    the point of that scene at all why do we
  • 00:31:22
    need to hear all about Mel's mysterious
  • 00:31:24
    brother who's this guy and what's the
  • 00:31:25
    point of him why does Vander need to be
  • 00:31:26
    represented in the scene why is the real
  • 00:31:28
    vaviani here why does bunny need to be
  • 00:31:29
    in every bunny scene why the color
  • 00:31:31
    system what if it wasn't there and you
  • 00:31:32
    can also do this with characters and
  • 00:31:33
    scenes and arcs in terms of how they
  • 00:31:35
    exist take any character and imagine the
  • 00:31:37
    most default basic unadorned form of
  • 00:31:39
    this thing you can possibly think of and
  • 00:31:40
    then one by one see what each unique
  • 00:31:42
    characteristic adds to the character's
  • 00:31:44
    functionality I've used normal Rupert as
  • 00:31:46
    a name for this tool in the past if I'm
  • 00:31:48
    trying to figure out R2D2 or Chewbacca
  • 00:31:49
    or whoever I imagine the character in
  • 00:31:51
    the most default form I can think of
  • 00:31:52
    totally average guy serving a similar
  • 00:31:54
    purpose Han psychic is just a guy who
  • 00:31:56
    follows him around instead of Chewbacca
  • 00:31:57
    normal human guy normal Bill talks
  • 00:31:59
    normally or serving the plot functions
  • 00:32:01
    after D2 serves helping out on their
  • 00:32:02
    ship or with computer stuff blending the
  • 00:32:04
    mood with little gags normal guy normal
  • 00:32:06
    human man just doing R2D2 things that
  • 00:32:08
    thought experiment allows me to isolate
  • 00:32:09
    the unique characteristics one by one
  • 00:32:11
    Chewie is Big Chewie is an alien and
  • 00:32:13
    Chewie makes growling noises instead of
  • 00:32:15
    talking R2D2 is cute R2D2 moves around
  • 00:32:17
    on Wheels kind of slowly R2D2 is
  • 00:32:19
    cheerful and if it's a scene I imagine
  • 00:32:21
    the most basic version of that scene
  • 00:32:22
    imaginable Jinx and Echo just fight they
  • 00:32:24
    shoot at each other hit each other
  • 00:32:25
    that's it that's the scene and then now
  • 00:32:27
    I can isolate the differences between
  • 00:32:28
    that and the actual scene music
  • 00:32:30
    flashbacks Arch style change in mood
  • 00:32:31
    building a parallel Echoes fighting
  • 00:32:33
    strategy jinx's fighting strategy I can
  • 00:32:34
    do with an arc what's a basic normal
  • 00:32:36
    fantasy Arc and now which photos are ah
  • 00:32:38
    here are all these unusual factors so if
  • 00:32:39
    something is interesting usually that
  • 00:32:40
    means that there's a basic default
  • 00:32:42
    version of it that you can hold next to
  • 00:32:43
    it to bring into Focus everything that
  • 00:32:45
    makes it interesting and investigate all
  • 00:32:46
    the possible reasons for those changes
  • 00:32:48
    number five is the weird one what's the
  • 00:32:50
    address so there's another useful
  • 00:32:52
    question to ask another one that's very
  • 00:32:53
    common in my academic Community if I
  • 00:32:55
    have a ton of questions and I feel
  • 00:32:56
    totally lost maybe you can't get to the
  • 00:32:58
    idea yet but you can ask what is the
  • 00:33:01
    address of this idea approximately where
  • 00:33:03
    would I find the answer let me give you
  • 00:33:04
    an example Jinx incredibly complex
  • 00:33:06
    character lots of moving Parts lots of
  • 00:33:07
    complicated scenes relationships
  • 00:33:08
    successes failures we got the mental
  • 00:33:10
    health stuff we got the hallucinations
  • 00:33:11
    we got all the wild decisions very tough
  • 00:33:13
    topic to gain deep Insight on because
  • 00:33:15
    it's all just so complex there's so much
  • 00:33:16
    of it but I know everything about this
  • 00:33:18
    character hinges on identity I know
  • 00:33:20
    that's the address of whatever this idea
  • 00:33:22
    will be or in similar vein I know this
  • 00:33:23
    is probably the most important scene
  • 00:33:25
    this is the location of the answers I'm
  • 00:33:27
    looking for so I can't get the full
  • 00:33:28
    answer I am not even close with finding
  • 00:33:30
    the address finding where to look for
  • 00:33:31
    the answer that can cut through a lot of
  • 00:33:33
    the confusion and significantly Focus my
  • 00:33:35
    investigation another example Mel again
  • 00:33:37
    really complex what are the odd
  • 00:33:38
    structure for an arc lots of unknowns
  • 00:33:40
    lots of confusing relationships a lot
  • 00:33:41
    left unsaid but I know this decision is
  • 00:33:43
    what encapsulates everything this is
  • 00:33:45
    what I should focus on this is the
  • 00:33:46
    address similarly on a more micro scale
  • 00:33:47
    the writers and animators are telling me
  • 00:33:49
    gold is very important figure out what
  • 00:33:51
    gold means so if you can't figure out
  • 00:33:52
    the answer at least figure out where you
  • 00:33:54
    should be looking final question number
  • 00:33:56
    six what must you say another major
  • 00:33:58
    Mantra of my academic Community it means
  • 00:34:00
    you cannot get to the big Theory you
  • 00:34:02
    cannot answer any of these questions
  • 00:34:03
    maybe you don't even know the address
  • 00:34:04
    but based on what you do have what must
  • 00:34:07
    you say what is a single deduction you
  • 00:34:09
    can make with absolute certainty even a
  • 00:34:11
    teeny tiny itty bitty one even if it it
  • 00:34:13
    seems totally insignificant once you
  • 00:34:15
    start making solid steps even baby baby
  • 00:34:17
    steps doesn't matter they're saying out
  • 00:34:19
    loud anything new that you can say for
  • 00:34:21
    certain that will consistently drag your
  • 00:34:23
    brain into a new space make things shift
  • 00:34:25
    just a little bit and maybe enable you
  • 00:34:27
    to see the next step and then that will
  • 00:34:29
    lead you to the next step and the next
  • 00:34:30
    and so on I don't know why Jinx chooses
  • 00:34:32
    the Jinx chair but what must you say up
  • 00:34:34
    until this point she is still
  • 00:34:36
    considering taking the powder chair that
  • 00:34:38
    alone baby step still tells you a lot I
  • 00:34:40
    don't know what the crows represent but
  • 00:34:42
    what must you say it's relevant to these
  • 00:34:44
    specific scenes that's something also
  • 00:34:46
    whatever does represent Jinx has a
  • 00:34:48
    contentious relationship with it that's
  • 00:34:49
    also something we have one crow here we
  • 00:34:51
    have many many crows here that
  • 00:34:53
    definitely means there's a more
  • 00:34:54
    pronounced manifestation of whatever
  • 00:34:55
    crows represent in this scene Aragorn
  • 00:34:58
    says to all the hobbits you about to
  • 00:34:59
    know him even though it seems like Frodo
  • 00:35:01
    or Frodo and Sam are the real heroes
  • 00:35:03
    here are marrying Pippen really on the
  • 00:35:04
    same level what must you say in terms of
  • 00:35:06
    what Aragorn is saying yes they are on
  • 00:35:08
    the same level apparently the reason
  • 00:35:10
    Aragorn is bowing to all of them has to
  • 00:35:12
    do with the commonality between in all
  • 00:35:13
    of them even if Mary Pippen seemed like
  • 00:35:15
    they did Less in terms of what Aragon
  • 00:35:17
    cares about qualitatively maybe not
  • 00:35:18
    quantitatively it applies equally or
  • 00:35:20
    similarly to Frodo and Sam ah now that I
  • 00:35:22
    made that step now I'm on a completely
  • 00:35:24
    different path before this I'm just
  • 00:35:25
    trying to figure out what Aragorn meant
  • 00:35:27
    now I'm looking for share
  • 00:35:28
    characteristics between all four Hobbit
  • 00:35:30
    arcs and if you've noticed these six
  • 00:35:31
    categories of questions are basically
  • 00:35:33
    just consistent ways to generate even
  • 00:35:35
    more even better questions each one of
  • 00:35:36
    them just leads to more and more
  • 00:35:38
    questions because like I said earlier at
  • 00:35:39
    the end of the day questions are your
  • 00:35:41
    only tool for understanding anything so
  • 00:35:43
    contradictions pivot Points incomplete
  • 00:35:45
    comparisons and complete contrasts what
  • 00:35:46
    is extra what's the address what must
  • 00:35:48
    you say if you're analyzing something
  • 00:35:49
    and you are stuck in the mud these
  • 00:35:51
    questions will pull you out and
  • 00:35:52
    hopefully Advance you to the next stage
  • 00:35:54
    of analysis which is getting stuck again
  • 00:35:57
    even worse this time so this is the next
  • 00:35:58
    topic you know the questions you found
  • 00:36:00
    all the footholds you've squeezed every
  • 00:36:02
    last drop of brain power out of your
  • 00:36:03
    brain and you're still stuck you're just
  • 00:36:05
    looking at the same questions now what
  • 00:36:07
    do you do so this next thing I'm going
  • 00:36:08
    to talk about this is the hardest one to
  • 00:36:09
    get better at you can pretty easily get
  • 00:36:11
    yourself into the habit of asking
  • 00:36:12
    different kinds of questions and better
  • 00:36:13
    questions but this next technique takes
  • 00:36:14
    years to learn to do effectively doesn't
  • 00:36:16
    mean you can't try and have good results
  • 00:36:17
    but I'm just warning you I'm not even
  • 00:36:19
    good at this this is the one that's
  • 00:36:20
    really part of a lifelong process this
  • 00:36:22
    is called forgetting the facts and this
  • 00:36:23
    was teacher Forge big thing let me play
  • 00:36:25
    you some audio of him being at this
  • 00:36:26
    exact stage of analysis I'm not gonna go
  • 00:36:27
    slow here because this is a subtle point
  • 00:36:29
    we're gonna go step by step this doesn't
  • 00:36:30
    encounter any topic that was a total
  • 00:36:32
    mess we were stuck he was stuck it was
  • 00:36:34
    awful but the way he describes where
  • 00:36:36
    we're at it was it was so bizarre to me
  • 00:36:37
    but anyway that's the problem with the
  • 00:36:39
    silly the problem is you can go down
  • 00:36:40
    every case you can just look at every
  • 00:36:41
    case from every angle but it still is
  • 00:36:45
    always a detailed uh you know you're
  • 00:36:48
    always stuck in a particular it's very
  • 00:36:50
    hard to to pull back
  • 00:36:53
    and just ask you know the general
  • 00:36:55
    question about try to get a general idea
  • 00:36:58
    I just feel like yeah you can go through
  • 00:37:00
    all the cases a hundred times but uh you
  • 00:37:02
    know you're not going to get out of
  • 00:37:03
    those D you're not going to get out of
  • 00:37:04
    that get like a tunnel vision he's
  • 00:37:06
    saying what makes this topic so hard is
  • 00:37:08
    that we can't stop thinking about the
  • 00:37:10
    particulars which is strange it's like a
  • 00:37:12
    detective saying I need to stop thinking
  • 00:37:14
    about the clues so I can solve the case
  • 00:37:15
    or like assigned to saying I need to
  • 00:37:16
    stop thinking about the data so I can
  • 00:37:18
    come up with a theory explaining the
  • 00:37:19
    data so I went ahead and I said that
  • 00:37:20
    basically he was saying we needed to
  • 00:37:22
    disengage from the particular so we can
  • 00:37:23
    get to a more general idea so yes isn't
  • 00:37:25
    focusing on the particulars how we're
  • 00:37:26
    going to derive that bigger idea
  • 00:37:29
    the problem is you got to pull your head
  • 00:37:31
    out of the out of the specifics at one
  • 00:37:33
    point
  • 00:37:33
    so to look at the whole landscape I mean
  • 00:37:36
    Johnny is definitely right you have to
  • 00:37:39
    be well versed in all the details but I
  • 00:37:42
    don't think you're going to get the big
  • 00:37:43
    idea through a detail I don't think you
  • 00:37:45
    get the idea by squeezing the details
  • 00:37:47
    harder not going to shake out a big
  • 00:37:49
    concept still seemed really weird to me
  • 00:37:50
    so before I go on with this let me show
  • 00:37:52
    you a situation where this comes up in
  • 00:37:53
    our subject and star analysis I'm not
  • 00:37:55
    always using this technique this tool
  • 00:37:56
    but there's one great example in my
  • 00:37:58
    videos of me encountering this situation
  • 00:38:00
    explicitly and employing this method
  • 00:38:02
    explicitly it was in the madness video
  • 00:38:04
    at the beginning I had all these
  • 00:38:05
    leftover questions about Jinx questions
  • 00:38:06
    about particular quotes questions about
  • 00:38:08
    particular mannerisms and I could answer
  • 00:38:10
    these questions I did answer them I gave
  • 00:38:11
    multiple answers and I still felt just
  • 00:38:13
    as ignorant they were good answers and
  • 00:38:15
    ultimately they were all unsatisfying I
  • 00:38:17
    still felt completely lost I was hyper
  • 00:38:19
    focused on the details and they were
  • 00:38:20
    getting me nowhere okay so here's season
  • 00:38:22
    4 explaining what to do from here this
  • 00:38:23
    is him explaining the forget the facts
  • 00:38:25
    methodology and giving his own example
  • 00:38:26
    of where and how it's effective and some
  • 00:38:28
    vocab here Indian means subject matter a
  • 00:38:30
    lot of times this is true in all in all
  • 00:38:32
    thinking a lot of times you come to the
  • 00:38:35
    table with certain preconceived notions
  • 00:38:37
    and that's because you're sort of
  • 00:38:39
    accepting certain basic things is true
  • 00:38:41
    and if you're just studying the facts a
  • 00:38:43
    lot of times that means you're not
  • 00:38:45
    reassessing what you think you know yeah
  • 00:38:47
    I mean you're just trying to fit a
  • 00:38:49
    particular case into what you think you
  • 00:38:51
    already know but when you drop
  • 00:38:53
    everything and you say you know what
  • 00:38:55
    let's start from scratch let's rethink
  • 00:38:57
    the whole thing you really can only do
  • 00:38:59
    that if you forget all the facts and a
  • 00:39:01
    lot of times that's exactly the the
  • 00:39:03
    right way to go to free yourself from
  • 00:39:06
    preconceived notions that you didn't
  • 00:39:07
    realize you were harboring you know a
  • 00:39:10
    clear example of this is
  • 00:39:12
    um with Einstein of course
  • 00:39:15
    obviously
  • 00:39:17
    there's certain cases in Newtonian
  • 00:39:19
    physics that didn't work out I think the
  • 00:39:21
    um the orbit of mercury was like a
  • 00:39:23
    fraction off like slightly slightly off
  • 00:39:26
    and turned out when Einstein develops
  • 00:39:28
    this theory of uh general theory of
  • 00:39:31
    relativity explain that deviation in his
  • 00:39:35
    formulas it worked out perfectly
  • 00:39:37
    but he says I wasn't thinking about that
  • 00:39:39
    problem and and on the contrary if
  • 00:39:41
    somebody were just working on that
  • 00:39:42
    problem they would never get Beyond it
  • 00:39:45
    would never get to the right solution
  • 00:39:47
    because they are focused on this detail
  • 00:39:49
    how can I account for the deviation in
  • 00:39:52
    Mercury's
  • 00:39:54
    maybe the calculations around maybe
  • 00:39:56
    there's some other Force outside of it
  • 00:39:58
    maybe there's something a different type
  • 00:40:01
    of uh whatever it is but it's because
  • 00:40:03
    you're not reassessing what you know
  • 00:40:06
    you're just trying to fit this into what
  • 00:40:08
    I do know
  • 00:40:09
    it's what I think I know most of the
  • 00:40:11
    times when you when you're faced with a
  • 00:40:13
    particular problem it's better to forget
  • 00:40:15
    the problem fall back to the general
  • 00:40:17
    Union and think about it naturally and
  • 00:40:21
    then you'll say oh well now I see now I
  • 00:40:23
    see how to look at this
  • 00:40:24
    now that I've developed the Indian
  • 00:40:26
    properly now I'm in a better position to
  • 00:40:28
    see how things should really be you
  • 00:40:30
    always got to fall back whenever you
  • 00:40:31
    have a problem it's always bad to think
  • 00:40:32
    about the problem it's always better to
  • 00:40:34
    fall back and think about the the
  • 00:40:36
    subject matter
  • 00:40:38
    and say well now I see I was coming to
  • 00:40:40
    the subject with the preconceived notion
  • 00:40:41
    because I never really analyzed the
  • 00:40:43
    subject on its own terms because you
  • 00:40:44
    have to always find a way of looking at
  • 00:40:48
    it that these facts matter naturally
  • 00:40:50
    that's what I really mean to say and you
  • 00:40:52
    gotta look at the facts but if you're
  • 00:40:54
    treating the facts like arbitrary
  • 00:40:56
    details then you're you're not you're
  • 00:40:58
    not thinking about it right you've got
  • 00:41:00
    to look at the facts and say in what
  • 00:41:02
    realm or in what system or in what way
  • 00:41:05
    of looking at it with these facts
  • 00:41:07
    naturally be important those I I would
  • 00:41:10
    use the cases more as barometers of
  • 00:41:12
    success you know like pretend you don't
  • 00:41:15
    know about the cases and use them as as
  • 00:41:17
    predictive power it's like when they
  • 00:41:19
    model the universe you know
  • 00:41:21
    put in certain assumptions and they sort
  • 00:41:24
    of Play It Out see those come out like
  • 00:41:26
    the universe we have then you know it
  • 00:41:28
    seems like it's pretty likely that those
  • 00:41:30
    initial assumptions were uh were true so
  • 00:41:33
    he's saying like this sometimes you can
  • 00:41:35
    use the tools and the framer to adjust
  • 00:41:36
    the particular questions directly but
  • 00:41:38
    when you absolutely can't it's often
  • 00:41:40
    because your framework does not have
  • 00:41:41
    those tools and you cannot use those
  • 00:41:43
    questions to force a broad shift in your
  • 00:41:45
    perspective they are too particularized
  • 00:41:46
    to point you anywhere useful so the way
  • 00:41:48
    to change your framework is to go back
  • 00:41:50
    to what he's calling the subject matter
  • 00:41:51
    the overarching topic your investigation
  • 00:41:53
    connects to and work purely on
  • 00:41:55
    developing your understanding of the
  • 00:41:56
    subject matter on its own in abstract
  • 00:41:58
    not thinking about the questions at all
  • 00:42:00
    forgetting you were even investigating
  • 00:42:01
    any of their particulars you do your
  • 00:42:03
    best to come at the topic completely
  • 00:42:04
    fresh Blank Slate think about it in a
  • 00:42:07
    new way separate yourself from all past
  • 00:42:09
    biases we cannot explain the orbit of
  • 00:42:11
    mercury Newtonian physics does not have
  • 00:42:13
    the tools for this Einstein meanwhile is
  • 00:42:15
    rethinking the overarching center in its
  • 00:42:17
    entirety time space motion whatever it
  • 00:42:19
    is he comes at it completely fresh
  • 00:42:21
    separates all past definitions past
  • 00:42:23
    biases and reaches a novel understanding
  • 00:42:25
    of what all of this stuff is and then he
  • 00:42:28
    comes back and finds that the Orbiter
  • 00:42:29
    Mercury works out naturally in his new
  • 00:42:31
    framework in my madness video I had all
  • 00:42:33
    these questions about particulars of
  • 00:42:34
    what drinks says and does I wasn't
  • 00:42:35
    getting anywhere so what did I do I took
  • 00:42:37
    a giant step back and I thought about
  • 00:42:39
    Madness as a whole I tried to understand
  • 00:42:41
    it better on its own terms I totally
  • 00:42:43
    forgot about Jinx I was not trying to
  • 00:42:45
    address those questions at all I thought
  • 00:42:47
    about much broader versions of the
  • 00:42:48
    question like comparing Madness to
  • 00:42:49
    mental distress I left Arcane I looked
  • 00:42:51
    at other great examples of Madness
  • 00:42:53
    Gollum denethor Billy Hayes Hitler I
  • 00:42:55
    noticed specific ways of thinking they
  • 00:42:57
    had manifestations of Madness that
  • 00:42:58
    didn't seem to relate to jinx at all
  • 00:43:00
    like the Nazi parade grounds in
  • 00:43:02
    Nuremberg and what I noticed was this
  • 00:43:04
    theme coming up over and over again of a
  • 00:43:06
    delusional second world the mad person
  • 00:43:07
    conjures up and externalizes lives in
  • 00:43:10
    interacts with and yes the whole time I
  • 00:43:12
    was on the lookout for what would hook
  • 00:43:13
    me back to the problem at hand at what
  • 00:43:15
    point could I flip the switch remember
  • 00:43:16
    all the facts again and relate this back
  • 00:43:17
    to what I see in Jinx and when it hit
  • 00:43:19
    upon externalization what Jinx is all
  • 00:43:21
    about externalization and so on and so
  • 00:43:23
    on so forget the facts it's weird weird
  • 00:43:25
    and if it sounds aimless it's not but it
  • 00:43:27
    kind of is at first you forget the facts
  • 00:43:29
    you step back you think about the
  • 00:43:30
    general subject matter and what exactly
  • 00:43:32
    am I supposed to be thinking about when
  • 00:43:33
    I'm taking a step back teacher 4 would
  • 00:43:34
    always say let it roll around in your
  • 00:43:36
    head whatever that means but you're
  • 00:43:37
    trying to just understand the whole
  • 00:43:39
    topic more and it is a really hard
  • 00:43:40
    balance you will often fall into the
  • 00:43:42
    Trap of trying to redefine the big
  • 00:43:43
    General things for the purpose of
  • 00:43:45
    answering the questions and that is bad
  • 00:43:46
    analysis and that can look and feel the
  • 00:43:48
    same as doing it right but it's
  • 00:43:49
    ultimately contrived it's not a general
  • 00:43:51
    theory that gives you a simpler
  • 00:43:52
    understanding of the data it's more
  • 00:43:53
    complex because they're stuffing all the
  • 00:43:54
    data into this explanation of one thing
  • 00:43:56
    that's why it is forget the facts really
  • 00:43:58
    think about it freely with zero
  • 00:44:00
    constraints and yeah then sometimes it
  • 00:44:01
    is too aimless and that's why it's so
  • 00:44:03
    difficult you really need to find a very
  • 00:44:05
    precise balance here listen to the way
  • 00:44:06
    teacher 4 puts it knows I I would use
  • 00:44:08
    the cases more as barometers of success
  • 00:44:11
    you know like pretend you don't know
  • 00:44:13
    about the cases and use them as as
  • 00:44:15
    predictive power what he said in the
  • 00:44:17
    last quote is the midpoint where you
  • 00:44:18
    want to hover as a Rough Guide what sort
  • 00:44:20
    of conceptual setup creates this exact
  • 00:44:22
    situation naturally what understanding
  • 00:44:24
    of Madness makes me write Jinx in this
  • 00:44:27
    way what understanding of Cliffhangers
  • 00:44:28
    makes me end the story in this way
  • 00:44:30
    knowing it won't have the negatives of
  • 00:44:32
    cliffhanger endings what is my
  • 00:44:33
    definition of hero that generates this
  • 00:44:35
    radically different hero's journey
  • 00:44:36
    instead of the basic default Heroes
  • 00:44:38
    journey and this is why I really try to
  • 00:44:39
    get my video set and with induced
  • 00:44:41
    threading rules and tips and advice
  • 00:44:42
    because that's what I'm trying to get to
  • 00:44:44
    what principles would make me write a
  • 00:44:45
    character like this or a scene like this
  • 00:44:47
    or an arc like this or a short film like
  • 00:44:49
    this or even a comment like this so
  • 00:44:50
    anyway try this out you're still gonna
  • 00:44:52
    get stuck it's not gonna work completely
  • 00:44:53
    but practice notice when other people do
  • 00:44:56
    it you'll get better at it okay next
  • 00:44:57
    part we've gotten to the actual
  • 00:44:59
    theorizing congratulations now what does
  • 00:45:02
    a good theory look like so let's talk
  • 00:45:04
    about the invisible soccer ball there's
  • 00:45:06
    another thing you're all going to have
  • 00:45:07
    to thank teacher 4 for he didn't come up
  • 00:45:08
    with us but he introduced it to us this
  • 00:45:09
    is from a book called the God particle
  • 00:45:11
    if the universe is the answer what is
  • 00:45:13
    the question by Nobel Laureate Leon
  • 00:45:15
    Letterman it's a pretty long analogy I'm
  • 00:45:17
    gonna read the whole thing out loud
  • 00:45:18
    because I think it's a fantastic
  • 00:45:19
    metaphor so settle in and let me tell
  • 00:45:22
    you a story imagine an intelligent race
  • 00:45:24
    of being beings from the planet twilo
  • 00:45:26
    they look more or less like us they talk
  • 00:45:28
    like us they do everything like humans
  • 00:45:30
    except for one thing they have a fluke
  • 00:45:32
    in their visual apparatus they can't see
  • 00:45:33
    objects with sharp juxtapositions of
  • 00:45:35
    black and white they can't see zebras
  • 00:45:37
    for example or shirts on NFL referees or
  • 00:45:39
    soccer balls let's say this contingent
  • 00:45:41
    from the planet twilo comes to Earth on
  • 00:45:43
    a Goodwill Mission to give them a taste
  • 00:45:45
    of our culture we take them to see one
  • 00:45:46
    of the most popular cultural events on
  • 00:45:48
    the planet a World Cup soccer match we
  • 00:45:50
    of course don't know that they can't see
  • 00:45:51
    the black and white soccer ball so they
  • 00:45:53
    sit there watching the match with polite
  • 00:45:54
    but confused looks on their faces as far
  • 00:45:56
    as the twilowins are concerned a bunch
  • 00:45:58
    of short pants people are running up and
  • 00:46:00
    down the field kicking their legs
  • 00:46:01
    pointlessly in the air banging into each
  • 00:46:03
    other and falling down at times an
  • 00:46:04
    official blows a whistle a player runs
  • 00:46:06
    to the sideline stands there and extends
  • 00:46:08
    both of his arms over his head while the
  • 00:46:10
    other players watch him once in a great
  • 00:46:11
    while the goalie inexplicably falls to
  • 00:46:14
    the ground a great cheer goes up and one
  • 00:46:16
    point is awarded to the opposite team
  • 00:46:17
    the title would spend about 15 minutes
  • 00:46:19
    being totally mystified then to pass the
  • 00:46:21
    time they attempt to understand the game
  • 00:46:22
    they deduce partially because of the
  • 00:46:24
    clothing that they're are two teams in
  • 00:46:25
    conflict with one another they chart the
  • 00:46:27
    movements of the various players
  • 00:46:28
    discovering that each player appears to
  • 00:46:30
    remain more or less within a certain
  • 00:46:31
    geographical territory on the field they
  • 00:46:33
    discover that different players display
  • 00:46:34
    different physical emotions the
  • 00:46:36
    twilowans as humans would do clarify
  • 00:46:38
    their search for meaning in World Cup
  • 00:46:39
    soccer by giving names to the different
  • 00:46:41
    positions played by each footballer the
  • 00:46:43
    positions are categorized compared and
  • 00:46:45
    contrasted the qualities and limitations
  • 00:46:46
    of each position are listed on a giant
  • 00:46:48
    chart a major break comes with twilins
  • 00:46:50
    discovered that symmetry is at work for
  • 00:46:52
    each position on team a there's a
  • 00:46:53
    counterpart position on Team B with two
  • 00:46:55
    minutes remaining in the game the
  • 00:46:56
    Twilight ones have composed dozens of
  • 00:46:58
    charts hundreds of tables and formulas
  • 00:47:00
    and scores of complicated rules about
  • 00:47:02
    soccer matches and though the rules
  • 00:47:03
    might all be in a limited way correct
  • 00:47:05
    none would really capture the essence of
  • 00:47:07
    the game then one young pipsqueak of a
  • 00:47:09
    twilowin silent until now speaks his
  • 00:47:11
    mind let's postulate he Ventures
  • 00:47:13
    nervously the existence of an invisible
  • 00:47:15
    ball say what replied the Elder
  • 00:47:17
    twilowans while his Elders were
  • 00:47:19
    monitoring what appeared to be the core
  • 00:47:20
    of the game the comings and goings of
  • 00:47:22
    various players and the demarcations of
  • 00:47:24
    the field squeak was keeping his eyes
  • 00:47:25
    peeled for rare events and he found one
  • 00:47:28
    immediately before the referee announced
  • 00:47:29
    a score and a split second before the
  • 00:47:31
    crowd cheered wildly the young Twilight
  • 00:47:33
    noticed the momentary appearance of a
  • 00:47:35
    bulge in the back of the golnut soccer
  • 00:47:37
    is a low scoring game so there are a few
  • 00:47:39
    boulders to observe and each was very
  • 00:47:41
    short-lived even so there are enough
  • 00:47:42
    events for the pipsqueak to notice that
  • 00:47:44
    the shape of the Bulge was semi-spirical
  • 00:47:45
    hence his wild conclusion that the game
  • 00:47:47
    of soccer is dependent on the existence
  • 00:47:49
    of an invisible ball invisible at least
  • 00:47:51
    two of the Twilight ones the rest of the
  • 00:47:53
    contention from twilo listened to this
  • 00:47:54
    Theory and weak as the empirical
  • 00:47:56
    evidence is after much arguing they
  • 00:47:58
    conclude that the youngster has a point
  • 00:47:59
    the Elder Statesman in the group of
  • 00:48:00
    physicists it turns out observes that a
  • 00:48:02
    few rare events are sometimes more
  • 00:48:04
    Illuminating than a thousand mundane
  • 00:48:06
    events but the real Clincher is the
  • 00:48:07
    simple fact that there must be a ball
  • 00:48:09
    positive the existence of a ball which
  • 00:48:10
    for some reason the twiloons cannot see
  • 00:48:12
    and suddenly everything works the game
  • 00:48:14
    makes sense not only that but all the
  • 00:48:16
    theories charts and diagrams compiled
  • 00:48:18
    over the past afternoon remain valid the
  • 00:48:20
    ball simply gives meaning to the rules
  • 00:48:22
    this is an extended metaphor for many
  • 00:48:24
    puzzles and accents especially relevant
  • 00:48:26
    to particle physics we can't understand
  • 00:48:27
    the rules the laws of nature without
  • 00:48:29
    knowing the objects the ball and without
  • 00:48:30
    a belief in a logical set of laws we
  • 00:48:32
    would never deduce the existence of all
  • 00:48:34
    the particles okay so a lot of this
  • 00:48:35
    might sound similar to fireman's wagon
  • 00:48:37
    the meaning comes from showing what the
  • 00:48:38
    underlying thing is not just finding
  • 00:48:40
    laws to describe what's happening and
  • 00:48:42
    yeah it's a good analogy for that but it
  • 00:48:43
    does a lot more than that too I want to
  • 00:48:45
    talk about three crucial impacts of good
  • 00:48:46
    theories of this analogy showcases
  • 00:48:48
    really clearly the first is Simplicity
  • 00:48:50
    which I think is part of what this guy
  • 00:48:52
    is calling meaning if I'm explaining
  • 00:48:53
    falling objects and I tell you A rock
  • 00:48:55
    falls to the ground because the nature
  • 00:48:57
    of Rocky matter is to fall Rock
  • 00:48:59
    particles go down and this feather see
  • 00:49:01
    how it falls differently that's because
  • 00:49:02
    it's falling is caused by something
  • 00:49:04
    totally different than Rock particles a
  • 00:49:05
    substance we've termed feather particles
  • 00:49:07
    and these fall slower and this bird
  • 00:49:10
    doesn't fall because bird particles
  • 00:49:11
    glide on the air and then yeah balloon
  • 00:49:13
    particles whose nature is to rise upward
  • 00:49:14
    and yeah look Mom I'm doing science I'm
  • 00:49:17
    answering all the questions I'm
  • 00:49:18
    explaining the reality by theorizing
  • 00:49:19
    about the underlying substances behind
  • 00:49:21
    physical phenomena but no obviously
  • 00:49:23
    these are bad theories if I'm expanding
  • 00:49:24
    four distinct phenomena with four
  • 00:49:26
    distinct causes you might have
  • 00:49:27
    substantial they are that theory is
  • 00:49:29
    maintaining the same level of complexity
  • 00:49:31
    I started with which is a bad thing my
  • 00:49:33
    understanding has not Advanced because
  • 00:49:35
    all analysis aims to get to a simpler
  • 00:49:37
    not more simplistic but simpler more
  • 00:49:39
    foundational understanding of the
  • 00:49:40
    phenomena I think that's where meaning
  • 00:49:42
    comes in because when you find a single
  • 00:49:44
    idea that expresses itself in all these
  • 00:49:46
    seemingly different manifestations but
  • 00:49:47
    it's really all one cause you've found a
  • 00:49:50
    deeper level of reality which is really
  • 00:49:52
    the end goal of your investigation in
  • 00:49:54
    the example all the other twilins were
  • 00:49:55
    trying to answer all the questions about
  • 00:49:56
    what was happening and they did get
  • 00:49:58
    answers they had a whole system in
  • 00:50:00
    charge some formulas explaining all the
  • 00:50:01
    movements so well that may have been 100
  • 00:50:03
    accurately predictive so why wasn't that
  • 00:50:05
    good enough why didn't give the sense of
  • 00:50:07
    meaning because it wasn't simplifying
  • 00:50:08
    anything it didn't penetrate any deeper
  • 00:50:10
    more foundational level of what they
  • 00:50:12
    were trying to explain the mess of all
  • 00:50:13
    these formulas and positionings and
  • 00:50:15
    whatever it was all qualitatively as
  • 00:50:16
    complex as what they started with but
  • 00:50:18
    the soccer ball that is one thing that
  • 00:50:20
    explains all of it that's perfect that's
  • 00:50:22
    what you should be aiming for you won't
  • 00:50:23
    always get there so times you'll be
  • 00:50:25
    stuck at some level complexity but
  • 00:50:26
    invisible soccer ball level
  • 00:50:27
    simplification is exactly the type of
  • 00:50:30
    theory you should be aiming for I don't
  • 00:50:31
    want to call out other types of analyzes
  • 00:50:33
    I've seen on YouTube and so I'll use a
  • 00:50:35
    widespread problem but it definitely
  • 00:50:37
    seems like some YouTube analysis aims to
  • 00:50:39
    make a topic more complicated through
  • 00:50:41
    their analysis they're taking something
  • 00:50:42
    that may be simple and layering on extra
  • 00:50:45
    levels of complexity Often by tying it
  • 00:50:47
    to all these kind of unrelated topics or
  • 00:50:49
    tying it to these entire systems of
  • 00:50:50
    ideas and then using like a metric ton
  • 00:50:52
    of jargon to make all that sound
  • 00:50:54
    exponentially even more complicated
  • 00:50:55
    maybe there's a value that I'm missing
  • 00:50:57
    in this kind of analysis but I am
  • 00:50:59
    missing it entirely it is the opposite
  • 00:51:01
    of what I'm trying to do and I think
  • 00:51:02
    it's just bad analysis again I don't
  • 00:51:04
    think it's that common but I have seen
  • 00:51:05
    analysis content like this and it's just
  • 00:51:07
    mystifying to me but I can speculate on
  • 00:51:09
    the reason why people fall into this
  • 00:51:10
    trap that I think they're associating
  • 00:51:11
    gaining understanding with confusion
  • 00:51:13
    because sometimes the process is
  • 00:51:15
    difficult and you do get confused but
  • 00:51:16
    then they take that feeling and think
  • 00:51:17
    that's how learning must feel they play
  • 00:51:19
    it almost as an aesthetic to every step
  • 00:51:21
    of the process like you're supposed to
  • 00:51:23
    go through this frustrating scatterbrain
  • 00:51:25
    roller coaster ride of an intellectual
  • 00:51:27
    journey and that's how you earn your
  • 00:51:28
    understanding and then that
  • 00:51:30
    understanding itself that also has to be
  • 00:51:32
    confusing because otherwise it's not
  • 00:51:33
    learning learning has to feel confusing
  • 00:51:35
    and no it's the opposite the point is to
  • 00:51:38
    simplify and that doesn't mean dumb down
  • 00:51:39
    the idea so they're easier to understand
  • 00:51:40
    no it's gonna be a confusing process
  • 00:51:42
    sometimes but confusion is a bad thing
  • 00:51:43
    in presenting the idea we want as little
  • 00:51:45
    of it as possible obviously and the
  • 00:51:47
    final product may be hard to understand
  • 00:51:48
    but essentially it has to be the
  • 00:51:51
    simplest part of the entire thing that's
  • 00:51:52
    the whole point I just don't get what
  • 00:51:53
    you're doing otherwise okay second thing
  • 00:51:55
    the final Theory looks and feels
  • 00:51:57
    categorically different than the more
  • 00:51:59
    superficial explanations this talk about
  • 00:52:00
    Theory isn't made of the same conceptual
  • 00:52:03
    stuff as the explanations of the other
  • 00:52:04
    Twilight ones and this may seem
  • 00:52:05
    superficial actually it is superficial
  • 00:52:08
    but I think it's a Dependable
  • 00:52:09
    superficial sign that the theory is
  • 00:52:10
    pushing towards a deeper level of
  • 00:52:11
    understanding it's pushed into an
  • 00:52:13
    underlying reality that's new that you
  • 00:52:14
    didn't see before and at this new level
  • 00:52:16
    the entire phenomenon looks different
  • 00:52:19
    your understanding isn't just broadening
  • 00:52:21
    it's transforming I can't help but think
  • 00:52:22
    about the way that people describe high
  • 00:52:24
    level competition like it's a totally
  • 00:52:26
    different game if I'm a chess player
  • 00:52:28
    what I'm doing as a beginner is a
  • 00:52:30
    fundamentally different activity than
  • 00:52:32
    what like a 1000 rated player is doing
  • 00:52:34
    and then compare them to a master and
  • 00:52:36
    then compare a master to like Magnus
  • 00:52:37
    Carlson the deeper your understanding
  • 00:52:39
    gets the more radically different the
  • 00:52:41
    phenomenon is in your mind it's one of
  • 00:52:43
    those videos on YouTube that so and so
  • 00:52:44
    explains X and five levels are so
  • 00:52:46
    interesting no matter what the subject
  • 00:52:47
    because what's being said and explaining
  • 00:52:48
    the phenomenon to a child is completely
  • 00:52:50
    different than what's being said to the
  • 00:52:51
    teenager which is completely different
  • 00:52:52
    from two experts talking about it and
  • 00:52:54
    it's not just difference in degree it's
  • 00:52:56
    transformatively different levels of
  • 00:52:57
    understanding of things so I think
  • 00:52:59
    that's important to keep in mind when
  • 00:53:00
    you're searching for a good theory and
  • 00:53:01
    I'll just reiterate as a disclaimer I
  • 00:53:03
    don't think this is a necessary quality
  • 00:53:04
    of a good theory but is present in good
  • 00:53:06
    theories often enough that I think it's
  • 00:53:07
    a good thing to look out for third thing
  • 00:53:09
    and this is both very important and I
  • 00:53:10
    think very hard to understand I still
  • 00:53:12
    don't understand this but I know it's
  • 00:53:13
    important if I summarize what happened
  • 00:53:14
    in this story as the other twilowans
  • 00:53:17
    tried to explain the soccer game without
  • 00:53:19
    being able to see the ball they studied
  • 00:53:20
    the data came up with complex theories
  • 00:53:22
    and then the young pipsqueak who studied
  • 00:53:23
    the same data came up with his simple
  • 00:53:25
    elegant unified theory if that's my
  • 00:53:27
    summary I'm leaving out possibly the
  • 00:53:28
    most important step the Twilight study
  • 00:53:30
    the data came up with their complex
  • 00:53:31
    theories but this week also study the
  • 00:53:33
    data also came up with a theory but not
  • 00:53:34
    using the same data not basing his
  • 00:53:37
    simpler theory on that same data no he
  • 00:53:39
    did not come forth with his theory until
  • 00:53:40
    one crucial new piece of data came to
  • 00:53:42
    light he saw that semispherical bulge in
  • 00:53:45
    the net that appeared in the moments
  • 00:53:46
    before the cheering only then did he
  • 00:53:48
    feel like he had enough data to base his
  • 00:53:49
    therion meaning even though his theory
  • 00:53:51
    would have still been just as much of a
  • 00:53:53
    simplifying force that cut through all
  • 00:53:55
    the complexity with a single elegant
  • 00:53:57
    cause he was still looking for evidence
  • 00:53:59
    that unmistakably pointed in specific to
  • 00:54:02
    his exact Theory and no other Theory
  • 00:54:04
    without that he still considered his
  • 00:54:06
    theory to be too speculative and this
  • 00:54:07
    aspect also like the last thing I don't
  • 00:54:09
    know how necessary this is you can
  • 00:54:11
    absolutely have good theories without
  • 00:54:12
    this kind of evidence but great theories
  • 00:54:14
    often will have it and something you
  • 00:54:16
    should absolutely be looking for I
  • 00:54:17
    personally am not capable of producing
  • 00:54:19
    theories like this most of the time but
  • 00:54:21
    let me show you an example where I did
  • 00:54:22
    accomplish this it was in the middle
  • 00:54:23
    video was this character with all these
  • 00:54:25
    different parts that seemed really
  • 00:54:27
    separate he got her relation to the city
  • 00:54:28
    and her relationship to her mother fine
  • 00:54:30
    not too hard to see some connection
  • 00:54:31
    there but in terms of what's extra you
  • 00:54:33
    had all the stuff about her brother that
  • 00:54:34
    seemed like a total non-sequitur totally
  • 00:54:36
    unrelated to the rest of her plot
  • 00:54:37
    involvement and then he had this random
  • 00:54:38
    thing at the end her using her magic
  • 00:54:40
    saving everyone what did that have to do
  • 00:54:42
    with the character and the painting was
  • 00:54:43
    this just a random hobby what was the
  • 00:54:45
    point of this then he had a relationship
  • 00:54:46
    to Jace what was that all about and then
  • 00:54:48
    her actual Arc about hex second
  • 00:54:49
    technology and politics lots and lots
  • 00:54:51
    and lots of parts so I did come up with
  • 00:54:52
    a theory that simplified all this and
  • 00:54:54
    that was fine but the part of my theory
  • 00:54:56
    that involved the painting led me to
  • 00:54:57
    this red gold symbolism when she was
  • 00:54:59
    being a Madara like her mom it was
  • 00:55:01
    always red and then in the end she
  • 00:55:02
    paints over her painting in gold and
  • 00:55:04
    then I noticed her back thing is also
  • 00:55:07
    gold huh interesting and that led to
  • 00:55:10
    some huge developments in the theory
  • 00:55:12
    that were really really speculative
  • 00:55:13
    reading Big Ideas into color symbolism
  • 00:55:16
    that's always gonna be kind of shaky
  • 00:55:17
    ground I needed my semi-spirical bulge
  • 00:55:19
    moment and then I found it there's this
  • 00:55:22
    little Split Second of a scene a half of
  • 00:55:25
    the line of dialogue totally out of
  • 00:55:27
    nowhere totally extra in this context
  • 00:55:28
    not drawing any attention to itself
  • 00:55:30
    almost a non-sequitur we'll paint the
  • 00:55:33
    walls in gold but at the same time
  • 00:55:35
    confirming everything about my color
  • 00:55:37
    theory pointing directly to my exact
  • 00:55:39
    idea in a way which was so specific that
  • 00:55:41
    it was a total shock to me and yeah not
  • 00:55:43
    quite as specific as the soccer ball so
  • 00:55:44
    pretty specific though the photos I
  • 00:55:46
    talked about in the let me in video was
  • 00:55:47
    also this although with that analysis I
  • 00:55:49
    noticed it early on and it led to the
  • 00:55:51
    theory instead of confirming it but
  • 00:55:52
    similar function as far as providing
  • 00:55:53
    super specific evidence okay so this is
  • 00:55:55
    obviously a very small list of qualities
  • 00:55:57
    a good theory should have but these are
  • 00:55:58
    the three that consciously guide me the
  • 00:55:59
    most Simplicity transformativeness
  • 00:56:02
    meaning it's made of different stuff
  • 00:56:03
    than the more basic theory is and
  • 00:56:05
    extremely particularized evidence moving
  • 00:56:07
    on okay so we are in the middle of our
  • 00:56:10
    analysis process what I want to talk
  • 00:56:12
    about now is some general analysis do's
  • 00:56:15
    and don'ts let's start with the don'ts
  • 00:56:17
    number one don't be afraid of over
  • 00:56:19
    analysis yes yes here it is let's talk
  • 00:56:22
    about it this is a criticism I get at
  • 00:56:24
    some level almost every video and I
  • 00:56:25
    would say about 80 of the time it's from
  • 00:56:28
    people who just aren't interested in
  • 00:56:29
    learning anything about whatever subject
  • 00:56:31
    I'm talking about and I'm saying this
  • 00:56:32
    without judgment it's not a condemnation
  • 00:56:34
    but something about the Simplicity of
  • 00:56:36
    the thing without the questions I ask
  • 00:56:37
    that appeals to them and the active
  • 00:56:39
    analysis ruins that Purity they'd rather
  • 00:56:41
    have the good feeling of that Purity
  • 00:56:42
    than the good feeling of a deeper
  • 00:56:44
    understanding and that makes them deny
  • 00:56:45
    that any deeper understanding exists
  • 00:56:47
    that's what I think is going on most of
  • 00:56:48
    the time I see the word over analysis
  • 00:56:50
    that really almost any analysis is going
  • 00:56:52
    to be over analysis this thing is simple
  • 00:56:53
    I like it simple I don't want anything
  • 00:56:55
    more and I'm going to deny it if you
  • 00:56:56
    think that there's anything more there
  • 00:56:57
    and I as you can imagine really don't
  • 00:56:59
    like that I'm fine if you want to do
  • 00:57:00
    that you do you I really really don't
  • 00:57:02
    like that 10 of the time it's a
  • 00:57:04
    legitimately great question it's saying
  • 00:57:05
    what you're analyzing and how you're
  • 00:57:07
    looking at it the questions you're
  • 00:57:08
    asking those are good questions but
  • 00:57:10
    isn't the answer just this simpler thing
  • 00:57:12
    that's great I love seeing that comment
  • 00:57:14
    that's something that starts a great
  • 00:57:15
    discussion if you're not asking that way
  • 00:57:17
    you don't want to start a discussion and
  • 00:57:18
    you're just using it to criticize if
  • 00:57:19
    you're using it to stop further
  • 00:57:21
    discussion then we have a problem but it
  • 00:57:22
    has a legitimate critique I am all for
  • 00:57:24
    this line of questioning and I
  • 00:57:25
    frequently engage in myself like I said
  • 00:57:26
    before complexity is a bad thing so
  • 00:57:28
    overanalysis meaning that the analysis
  • 00:57:30
    is producing something that is more
  • 00:57:32
    complex than I think it should be
  • 00:57:33
    because of this other thing that's
  • 00:57:35
    exactly the kind of question you need to
  • 00:57:36
    be asking this last category is the
  • 00:57:38
    critique of your treating things as
  • 00:57:40
    intentional that I don't think are
  • 00:57:41
    intentional did the writers really
  • 00:57:43
    intend this little thing you're basing
  • 00:57:44
    your whole theory on it's too small of a
  • 00:57:46
    detail it can't have been intentional so
  • 00:57:48
    it should come as no surprise to you if
  • 00:57:50
    you've seen my content that way I think
  • 00:57:51
    that this is an excellent criticism in
  • 00:57:53
    terms of the discussion it prompts my
  • 00:57:55
    actual position on this practically is
  • 00:57:56
    to treat everything as intentional even
  • 00:57:58
    though I know that it's not intentional
  • 00:58:00
    you can probably tell that I do this
  • 00:58:02
    consciously even Alex ye and the AMA
  • 00:58:04
    sounded like he understood that I do
  • 00:58:05
    this and he understood why I do it also
  • 00:58:07
    it has to do with understanding what
  • 00:58:09
    you're analyzing and why you're
  • 00:58:10
    analyzing it first of all let's say I'm
  • 00:58:12
    an engineer and I'm trying to analyze
  • 00:58:13
    the structure of a particular bridge in
  • 00:58:15
    this analysis I am not going to bring in
  • 00:58:17
    color symbolism for two reasons number
  • 00:58:19
    one because that is not the language of
  • 00:58:21
    Structural Engineering color doesn't
  • 00:58:23
    play a part in What Bridges do in a
  • 00:58:25
    structural sense number two engineering
  • 00:58:26
    a bridge is I think I'm not an engineer
  • 00:58:28
    but I assume engineering a bridge is
  • 00:58:30
    completely conscious and intention
  • 00:58:31
    driven as a process every aspect down to
  • 00:58:33
    the details must be consciously designed
  • 00:58:36
    and calculated now with storytelling
  • 00:58:38
    number one color symbolism is in the
  • 00:58:40
    language of Storytelling so best case
  • 00:58:41
    scenario I'm understanding the conscious
  • 00:58:43
    intention of the author but worse comes
  • 00:58:44
    to worse I'm understanding how to use a
  • 00:58:46
    storytelling thing better in conducting
  • 00:58:48
    this analysis and investigating this
  • 00:58:50
    particular aspect even if it's not the
  • 00:58:51
    author's intention I have found an
  • 00:58:53
    effective way to use color and I can
  • 00:58:55
    take that and I can abstract it come up
  • 00:58:57
    with principles come up with ideas maybe
  • 00:58:58
    use it in my own writing and I never
  • 00:59:00
    would have advanced my understanding of
  • 00:59:01
    how to use symbolism in that way if I
  • 00:59:03
    had been concerned about overthinking
  • 00:59:05
    over analyzing if I'd been concerned
  • 00:59:07
    about authorial intent that is not the
  • 00:59:09
    point of my analysis the point is to
  • 00:59:10
    learn something the point is to advance
  • 00:59:11
    my understanding of The Craft of writing
  • 00:59:13
    and number two storytelling is
  • 00:59:15
    absolutely not completely conscious and
  • 00:59:17
    intention driven as a process artists
  • 00:59:19
    will very often do things for reasons
  • 00:59:21
    they cannot articulate they'll be moved
  • 00:59:22
    by their subconscious creative Instincts
  • 00:59:24
    by some inner voice that tells them this
  • 00:59:26
    is how it has to be it will be better
  • 00:59:28
    this way maybe gold was intentional for
  • 00:59:30
    the reason I said or maybe it just felt
  • 00:59:32
    powerful in the scene it felt right and
  • 00:59:33
    me as a writer I'm not going to think it
  • 00:59:35
    did any more than that I don't need to I
  • 00:59:37
    don't want to it just has to be gold
  • 00:59:38
    here end of story or alternatively maybe
  • 00:59:40
    there was Zero intention behind it at
  • 00:59:42
    all maybe gold was completely arbitrary
  • 00:59:44
    but then still it had this powerful
  • 00:59:46
    emotional impact oh man when I saw that
  • 00:59:48
    gold I really felt something and that's
  • 00:59:50
    something we absolutely need to explain
  • 00:59:52
    no matter what the intention was if I
  • 00:59:54
    make a cookie and I have no idea what
  • 00:59:56
    I'm doing but then it tastes amazing I
  • 00:59:58
    can analyze that product no matter the
  • 01:00:00
    intention or lack thereof and often it's
  • 01:00:02
    because it completed some circuit in our
  • 01:00:04
    brain subconsciously it aided some Arc
  • 01:00:06
    it expressed some emotion it meant
  • 01:00:08
    something and that can happen with or
  • 01:00:09
    without intention intention does not
  • 01:00:11
    matter the cookie still tastes great
  • 01:00:13
    even if I know nothing about food
  • 01:00:14
    chemistry so that's my role when I'm
  • 01:00:16
    analyzing I'm not trying to analyze the
  • 01:00:17
    intentions of the creators I am the food
  • 01:00:19
    chemist analyzing why all the various
  • 01:00:20
    cookies taste so delicious food chemists
  • 01:00:22
    do not care about intentions unless
  • 01:00:24
    practically it aids their investigation
  • 01:00:25
    of what's in front of them an example I
  • 01:00:27
    can't help but think of is Daniel Day
  • 01:00:28
    Lewis who is undoubtedly a master of his
  • 01:00:30
    art and have seen him interviewed
  • 01:00:31
    sometimes about the subtleties of his
  • 01:00:33
    performance and at times he'll sound
  • 01:00:34
    almost clueless as though he hasn't
  • 01:00:36
    thought through any of it because it's
  • 01:00:37
    created process at times is that
  • 01:00:39
    subconscious tell me what you wanted
  • 01:00:41
    this character what did you wanna
  • 01:00:43
    from within you what you wanted to show
  • 01:00:45
    about Bill
  • 01:00:48
    you know what I really I really wouldn't
  • 01:00:50
    know how to answer that there was there
  • 01:00:52
    was no conscious intention I don't think
  • 01:00:54
    certainly like
  • 01:00:56
    I remember
  • 01:00:59
    feeling as I approached him a great
  • 01:01:01
    sense of
  • 01:01:04
    it was something I found I don't know
  • 01:01:07
    I'm kind of Reinventing the truth
  • 01:01:08
    because I honestly can't remember
  • 01:01:10
    those because you're making so many
  • 01:01:12
    decisions every day but most of them if
  • 01:01:15
    things are going well in Martin's case
  • 01:01:17
    that for the most part conscious
  • 01:01:18
    decisions and if things are going well
  • 01:01:20
    for me for the most part they're they're
  • 01:01:22
    they've completed some other level so so
  • 01:01:25
    you have no sense of control for the
  • 01:01:27
    most part of those decisions that are
  • 01:01:30
    being made nonetheless and just because
  • 01:01:31
    there's no specific intention behind the
  • 01:01:33
    nuances doesn't mean that other actors
  • 01:01:34
    can't learn from those nuances of course
  • 01:01:36
    not that is nonsensical obviously there
  • 01:01:38
    are tons of these subconsciously
  • 01:01:39
    generated aspects of Lewis's performance
  • 01:01:40
    that make it effective in all these
  • 01:01:42
    complex ways and by setting those
  • 01:01:44
    aspects as if they were intentional we
  • 01:01:46
    can apply those ideas intentionally even
  • 01:01:48
    if he doesn't and it will make our art
  • 01:01:50
    more effective as well next don't this
  • 01:01:52
    is a two-parter first part is
  • 01:01:53
    straightforward based on what we talked
  • 01:01:55
    about don't worry about contradicting
  • 01:01:56
    your own past theories remember these
  • 01:01:58
    are models to help you explore the
  • 01:01:59
    phenomenon and you don't want to set up
  • 01:02:00
    Roblox instead of any potential roads
  • 01:02:02
    that may lead you to where you want to
  • 01:02:03
    go which is as I keep saying advancing
  • 01:02:05
    your understanding the most harmful form
  • 01:02:06
    that mistakes in terms of that goal is
  • 01:02:08
    when I see usually in my comment section
  • 01:02:10
    someone rejecting a new idea because
  • 01:02:12
    they're afraid they have to give up
  • 01:02:13
    their old idea which is an idea that
  • 01:02:15
    they really like both ideas even if
  • 01:02:17
    they're contradictory are quote unquote
  • 01:02:19
    words of the Living God as we talked
  • 01:02:20
    about earlier both of them can be good
  • 01:02:21
    models one of them doesn't need to win
  • 01:02:23
    so that's the conceptual stubbornness I
  • 01:02:25
    see at play here there's an emotional
  • 01:02:27
    component to the stubbornness as well
  • 01:02:28
    which has its own accompanying don't let
  • 01:02:30
    me play some audio from one of my other
  • 01:02:32
    teachers this is actually that other
  • 01:02:33
    mathematician I mentioned in the beauty
  • 01:02:34
    video the one who led me to that Stephen
  • 01:02:36
    Weinberg quote there's a certain
  • 01:02:37
    Conquest involved in learning it's like
  • 01:02:39
    they're problems and the problems are
  • 01:02:41
    coming at you and yes they're they're
  • 01:02:43
    bothers on the problem
  • 01:02:45
    you're there's some frustration you want
  • 01:02:47
    to work it out and you finally you get
  • 01:02:49
    the idea and there's a certain personal
  • 01:02:51
    involvement in the thing because
  • 01:02:53
    certainly I got I worked it out there's
  • 01:02:55
    a certain can't help but feeling happy
  • 01:02:56
    or proud proud it's a better word you
  • 01:02:58
    know you work out an idea there's a
  • 01:03:00
    certain type of uh Caterers the whole
  • 01:03:02
    experience caters to uh to certain
  • 01:03:06
    certain uh certain emotions it's too
  • 01:03:08
    mixed in with your own uh the self and
  • 01:03:11
    the appreciation is partially
  • 01:03:13
    appreciation of your own intelligence so
  • 01:03:15
    your own ability to work it out don't
  • 01:03:17
    let your judgment of an idea be clouded
  • 01:03:19
    by the excitement or Pride or ego
  • 01:03:21
    pleasure in discovering it this I see so
  • 01:03:23
    often in myself but also my comment
  • 01:03:25
    section especially aggressive comments
  • 01:03:27
    people often have this unhealthy
  • 01:03:28
    attachment to the first answer they
  • 01:03:30
    encounter to some question it's almost a
  • 01:03:31
    front to this idea that's my idea even
  • 01:03:34
    because I came up with it are you saying
  • 01:03:35
    my idea I came up with is bad it's
  • 01:03:37
    flawed there's something wrong with it
  • 01:03:38
    there's something wrong with me then my
  • 01:03:40
    hard work was for nothing because
  • 01:03:41
    there's this better idea out there or
  • 01:03:42
    even if I didn't come up with it even if
  • 01:03:44
    it was someone else's idea I worked hard
  • 01:03:46
    to understand this and I had this
  • 01:03:48
    difficult painful ignorance that this
  • 01:03:49
    saved me from either way this has become
  • 01:03:51
    an idea that means a lot to me and
  • 01:03:53
    that's good it's good for ideas to mean
  • 01:03:55
    something to you but there are hundreds
  • 01:03:57
    of ways to answer any given question
  • 01:03:58
    thousands and thousands of ways and you
  • 01:04:01
    need to make room for those ideas too
  • 01:04:02
    regardless of whether or not you already
  • 01:04:04
    have a favorite idea and especially that
  • 01:04:06
    favoritism isn't connected to the
  • 01:04:07
    substance of the idea but just to your
  • 01:04:09
    own ego investment in coming to it okay
  • 01:04:11
    next another two-parter don't agree with
  • 01:04:14
    anything you hear and don't disagree
  • 01:04:17
    with anything you hear this is not like
  • 01:04:19
    actual advice this is a thought exercise
  • 01:04:20
    but it's also good for me you're
  • 01:04:21
    thinking more nuanced as well anytime
  • 01:04:23
    you hear something even if it's pretty
  • 01:04:24
    close to what you yourself would say
  • 01:04:26
    find some part of it you disagree with
  • 01:04:28
    and Define why you would disagree with
  • 01:04:29
    that one part and then anytime you hear
  • 01:04:31
    something that you absolutely do
  • 01:04:32
    disagree with try to figure out where
  • 01:04:34
    common ground is and then Define the
  • 01:04:36
    exact point where you diverge and it may
  • 01:04:38
    be pretty far back conceptually but
  • 01:04:39
    it'll help you come to more nuanced
  • 01:04:40
    understanding of what this person is
  • 01:04:42
    saying it'll help you define any
  • 01:04:43
    marriage about the position that you
  • 01:04:44
    missed because of what was the loudest
  • 01:04:46
    part the party you disagree with and I
  • 01:04:47
    hope you understand your own position a
  • 01:04:48
    lot better too next on a similar note
  • 01:04:50
    this will lead us into our analysis Do's
  • 01:04:52
    another two-parter here don't let your
  • 01:04:54
    ego get in the way of understanding
  • 01:04:56
    descending opinions if someone says
  • 01:04:58
    something in a hurtful way that's not an
  • 01:05:00
    excuse for you not to think about what
  • 01:05:01
    they said it's something that changes
  • 01:05:02
    the way that you see a lot of these
  • 01:05:04
    comments is What's Happening Here is
  • 01:05:05
    that people get excited about ideas they
  • 01:05:06
    get passionate they get frustrated they
  • 01:05:08
    get confused and that's painful and
  • 01:05:09
    that's usually what's behind the
  • 01:05:10
    aggression you're seeing and it's not
  • 01:05:12
    you it's how they feel about the idea so
  • 01:05:14
    don't take aggression personally and yes
  • 01:05:16
    do make an effort to understand just
  • 01:05:17
    sending opinions try to figure out where
  • 01:05:19
    the person is coming from this is a
  • 01:05:20
    super valuable opportunity you have a
  • 01:05:22
    person who's letting you know that they
  • 01:05:24
    see things very differently from you
  • 01:05:25
    this is someone who you can almost
  • 01:05:26
    definitely learn something from and
  • 01:05:28
    while the aggression and frustration can
  • 01:05:30
    absolutely obscure the valuable
  • 01:05:32
    perspective they're trying to share just
  • 01:05:33
    as often as it obscures it the way they
  • 01:05:36
    express themselves is just as often
  • 01:05:37
    Clues to understanding them you can
  • 01:05:39
    watch my Lord of the Rings versus Arcane
  • 01:05:40
    video to see the set of do's and don'ts
  • 01:05:42
    in action and yes granted sometimes
  • 01:05:43
    there is absolutely nothing to learn
  • 01:05:45
    from these people sometimes they're just
  • 01:05:46
    being aggressive with no substance but
  • 01:05:48
    at least stop and think at least take
  • 01:05:49
    some time to figure out if there is
  • 01:05:51
    anything there okay next do tackle
  • 01:05:54
    really really hard questions questions
  • 01:05:55
    that may feel impossible to answer if
  • 01:05:58
    you're stuck in analyzing a tragedy in
  • 01:06:00
    at its most basic level you realize that
  • 01:06:01
    you just don't understand what makes
  • 01:06:02
    tragedy compelling and you're looking at
  • 01:06:04
    that question and that seems like a
  • 01:06:06
    gigantic question it's Monumental how
  • 01:06:08
    are you ever supposed to answer that
  • 01:06:09
    that is good go for it go try your best
  • 01:06:12
    to figure that out think about it see
  • 01:06:13
    what you can come up with discuss it see
  • 01:06:15
    what other people are saying try to
  • 01:06:16
    learn more about it however you need to
  • 01:06:17
    do it get yourself to that level of
  • 01:06:18
    understanding that you need to be at to
  • 01:06:20
    continue your analysis and Advance your
  • 01:06:21
    understanding remember that is your goal
  • 01:06:23
    you don't need to solve tragedy you
  • 01:06:24
    don't need the answers you're looking
  • 01:06:26
    for a better model of understanding so
  • 01:06:28
    try to define the undefinable try to
  • 01:06:30
    push for new theories about what makes
  • 01:06:31
    characters good what makes writing good
  • 01:06:33
    What conflict is what beauty is if you
  • 01:06:35
    try if you make the effort you will find
  • 01:06:36
    better models not the truth but better
  • 01:06:38
    models and then down the road you'll
  • 01:06:40
    encounter questions on those and you'll
  • 01:06:41
    reinvent your understanding again and
  • 01:06:43
    come up with something even better the
  • 01:06:44
    school of advancing or understanding
  • 01:06:45
    this is a long-term goal you're not
  • 01:06:47
    trying to answer this question because
  • 01:06:48
    you care so much about just this
  • 01:06:50
    question you're in a lifelong pursuit of
  • 01:06:52
    Greater understanding and this
  • 01:06:53
    particular experience is just another
  • 01:06:54
    step up that mountain next do separate
  • 01:06:57
    points probably the most mundane
  • 01:06:59
    sounding bit of a device in this entire
  • 01:07:00
    video but so important t-shirt number
  • 01:07:02
    two was the one who nailed this into my
  • 01:07:04
    brain some background most famous
  • 01:07:05
    commentary in Tommy to study is this
  • 01:07:07
    little guy over here called Rashi he
  • 01:07:09
    gives all the background you need to
  • 01:07:10
    know to read the main body of the Tech
  • 01:07:11
    switches here and the crazy thing is
  • 01:07:13
    that this guy is super concise it is
  • 01:07:17
    absolutely insane how concise this guy
  • 01:07:19
    is and for three years straight in
  • 01:07:20
    teacher two's class basically every day
  • 01:07:22
    it was how many points is Rashi making
  • 01:07:25
    this guy would say like 10 words and
  • 01:07:27
    sometimes he'd be making three entirely
  • 01:07:28
    separate points in 10 words because he
  • 01:07:30
    is that concise and teacher too would
  • 01:07:32
    Grill us on separating these points
  • 01:07:34
    precisely because if you cannot identify
  • 01:07:36
    how many different things you're trying
  • 01:07:38
    to think about you will probably
  • 01:07:39
    misunderstand them you will confuse one
  • 01:07:42
    point to another you will miss Nuance
  • 01:07:43
    you will miss questions you'll miss
  • 01:07:45
    tools that will lead you to answers let
  • 01:07:46
    me give you an example of this in our
  • 01:07:48
    subject matter I thought you could love
  • 01:07:49
    me like you used to but you changed to
  • 01:07:51
    Four Points one I thought you could love
  • 01:07:53
    me two like you used to three but you
  • 01:07:57
    changed four two meaning one she thought
  • 01:08:00
    vika love her that's something that's
  • 01:08:01
    orange one we can talk about we can talk
  • 01:08:03
    about the why we can talk about the how
  • 01:08:04
    two she thought Vai used to love her in
  • 01:08:07
    a specific way what way how why three
  • 01:08:10
    she thinks if I change what was it
  • 01:08:11
    change how did you change why did you
  • 01:08:13
    change and four she thinks she herself
  • 01:08:15
    also change again same questions
  • 01:08:16
    separating aspects and characteristics
  • 01:08:18
    it's the same principle Legolas is a
  • 01:08:20
    cool character how so he does cool
  • 01:08:22
    things he looks cool let's separate all
  • 01:08:23
    the different aspects of this what
  • 01:08:24
    comprises his coolness well he's super
  • 01:08:26
    handsome he's super capable he is quiet
  • 01:08:28
    and aloof he is graceful he does other
  • 01:08:31
    things characters can do and often be
  • 01:08:32
    seen no explanation for that and he
  • 01:08:34
    doesn't even seem to care about being
  • 01:08:35
    cool in all these different ways I can
  • 01:08:37
    go on and on but this tool is saying
  • 01:08:38
    things we have a general idea of that
  • 01:08:39
    may be a simple thing and doing our best
  • 01:08:41
    to break it down to its most basic
  • 01:08:43
    components it's particles it's atoms
  • 01:08:45
    extremely useful in preparing to analyze
  • 01:08:47
    and discovering Nuance in your data and
  • 01:08:49
    in ideas you're working to develop and
  • 01:08:50
    communicating those ideas in the
  • 01:08:52
    clearest form people often compliment me
  • 01:08:53
    in my clarity of presentation imagine an
  • 01:08:55
    hour and 10 minutes a day three years
  • 01:08:57
    straight with the clearest Communicator
  • 01:08:59
    of anyone you've ever met demanding that
  • 01:09:01
    you separate points and everything you
  • 01:09:02
    read you can thank teacher 2 for any
  • 01:09:04
    Clarity that happened to rub off on me
  • 01:09:06
    next do name ideas moving right along
  • 01:09:09
    this is a teacher three habit this one
  • 01:09:10
    I'm sure you've noticed do all over my
  • 01:09:12
    videos and it may strike you as strange
  • 01:09:14
    considering I had a whole section in
  • 01:09:15
    this video about how names aren't ideas
  • 01:09:17
    inertia and all that and yes that is
  • 01:09:19
    true but once you do have ideas name
  • 01:09:22
    them instead of just leaving ideas as an
  • 01:09:24
    abstract definition a complicated jumble
  • 01:09:25
    of thoughts in your brain shortcut all
  • 01:09:27
    that by giving it a name so that you can
  • 01:09:30
    refer to it easily so that it becomes a
  • 01:09:32
    distinct entity in your mind and yeah
  • 01:09:34
    personally I really really don't like
  • 01:09:35
    academic jargon mostly because of how
  • 01:09:37
    people use it as a site of hand to make
  • 01:09:39
    ideas sound fancier and more complicated
  • 01:09:40
    or as a substitute for ideas like I
  • 01:09:42
    mentioned earlier so don't take your own
  • 01:09:44
    jargon and do that with it that is bad
  • 01:09:45
    but do make your own lexicon of your own
  • 01:09:48
    ideas only use in ways that makes things
  • 01:09:50
    simpler for you and more palatable for
  • 01:09:51
    you and this also helps you to more
  • 01:09:52
    efficiently start building a bunch of
  • 01:09:54
    separate ideas into a whole system of
  • 01:09:56
    ideas a system of how you personally
  • 01:09:57
    think and that's something which is very
  • 01:09:58
    useful to have next do compare
  • 01:10:01
    everything to everything else when you
  • 01:10:03
    find a new character you like compare
  • 01:10:04
    that to other favorite characters of
  • 01:10:06
    yours see if you can find a pattern
  • 01:10:07
    compare that character to a version of
  • 01:10:08
    the archetype you don't like see if you
  • 01:10:10
    can figure out why and do more
  • 01:10:11
    comparisons if they're a hero compare
  • 01:10:13
    them to a villain if they're a side
  • 01:10:14
    character compare them to a main
  • 01:10:15
    character compare plots you like plots
  • 01:10:16
    you hate questions as I keep saying are
  • 01:10:18
    your only tool for understanding
  • 01:10:19
    anything and compare contrasting is like
  • 01:10:20
    the 7-Eleven of questions it is the most
  • 01:10:22
    easily accessible source of good
  • 01:10:24
    fruitful questions that you can always
  • 01:10:25
    turn to 24 7 at any moment of the day
  • 01:10:27
    okay next do advice is from this guy
  • 01:10:30
    sarigo and a famous scholar who lived in
  • 01:10:31
    the 900s do be 100 confident in your own
  • 01:10:35
    ideas a hundred percent of the time
  • 01:10:37
    until you are proven wrong and then be
  • 01:10:39
    100 willing to retract everything and
  • 01:10:41
    100 willing to admit you were wrong the
  • 01:10:44
    smarter you get hopefully if you're on
  • 01:10:45
    the right track the more humble you will
  • 01:10:47
    also get you'll start seeing that
  • 01:10:48
    there's a lot of smart people out there
  • 01:10:49
    and Meanwhile your ideas are kind of
  • 01:10:51
    Dopey at times you can be pretty sloppy
  • 01:10:53
    you can be pretty incoherent there's so
  • 01:10:55
    much you don't understand there's a
  • 01:10:57
    natural imposter syndrome feeling you
  • 01:10:58
    get but you cannot let that feeling
  • 01:11:00
    impact your actual analysis humility is
  • 01:11:02
    important but finding new ideas is far
  • 01:11:05
    more important you cannot let a single
  • 01:11:07
    great idea slip through your finger
  • 01:11:08
    simply because you were too timid to
  • 01:11:09
    explore some notion you have some
  • 01:11:11
    direction or some question if you're
  • 01:11:13
    stuck saying oh I had this idea but it's
  • 01:11:15
    probably nothing I thought of this
  • 01:11:16
    question but it's probably a bad
  • 01:11:18
    question I had the steering kind of
  • 01:11:19
    shaky about it no one is really saying
  • 01:11:21
    anything like it no suck it up and
  • 01:11:23
    plunge full steam ahead like you are the
  • 01:11:25
    smartest person in the world and all
  • 01:11:26
    your little Notions are going to lead to
  • 01:11:27
    Big Ideas and everything you have is
  • 01:11:29
    worth developing because it's going to
  • 01:11:30
    be so cool and then once you're finished
  • 01:11:32
    with your analysis if someone has a good
  • 01:11:33
    criticism of it if you're wrong or if it
  • 01:11:35
    just ends up being not great and full of
  • 01:11:37
    holes and lackluster then be humble tail
  • 01:11:39
    between your legs you know the routine
  • 01:11:41
    and retract and try again I'm not
  • 01:11:43
    suggesting that you actually be arrogant
  • 01:11:45
    just use confidence as a tool to get
  • 01:11:47
    better ideas and also use humility as a
  • 01:11:49
    tool to get better ideas being able to
  • 01:11:51
    confidently March forward and being able
  • 01:11:53
    to admit you're wrong are both useful in
  • 01:11:55
    different situations just because
  • 01:11:56
    they're opposites doesn't mean that you
  • 01:11:57
    can't use both when necessary to get
  • 01:11:59
    better ideas just don't let either
  • 01:12:00
    disposition be an impediment to you and
  • 01:12:02
    let me add to this do be the first one
  • 01:12:04
    to question your own ideas it is totally
  • 01:12:06
    fine totally reasonable and productive
  • 01:12:08
    to be like here's my idea and here's my
  • 01:12:11
    question on it here's my idea and this
  • 01:12:12
    is what I like about it and this is what
  • 01:12:14
    I don't like about it it's productive in
  • 01:12:15
    your own head when you're working on the
  • 01:12:16
    idea by yourself but especially if
  • 01:12:18
    you're discussing it or presenting it
  • 01:12:20
    criticize your own ideas ask questions
  • 01:12:21
    on them why because I'm gonna say it
  • 01:12:23
    again questions are your only tools to
  • 01:12:25
    understand anything if there's more
  • 01:12:27
    understanding to be had from your answer
  • 01:12:29
    it will happen through asking questions
  • 01:12:31
    on it next do obsess over formulation if
  • 01:12:34
    you can't talk about it clearly you are
  • 01:12:36
    not thinking about it clearly find the
  • 01:12:38
    absolute best ways to express your ideas
  • 01:12:40
    that is the sign that you're coming to a
  • 01:12:43
    clearer understanding of those ideas if
  • 01:12:44
    you're having trouble expressing
  • 01:12:46
    yourself that's good that's part of the
  • 01:12:47
    process that is your clue to do more
  • 01:12:49
    thinking to understand more last do
  • 01:12:51
    different from the rest do think
  • 01:12:54
    silently for long extended periods of
  • 01:12:56
    time this is something which is a
  • 01:12:58
    totally normal thing in the environment
  • 01:12:59
    I come from you can walk into the study
  • 01:13:00
    room and my old Tommy look Academy and
  • 01:13:02
    it will not be uncommon to see people
  • 01:13:04
    sitting at tables no books or notes or
  • 01:13:06
    anything in front of them and they're
  • 01:13:07
    just staring and thinking for like an
  • 01:13:10
    hour sometimes more staring at the
  • 01:13:12
    ceiling sometimes they're sitting and
  • 01:13:14
    just spinning a pen or muttering to
  • 01:13:16
    themselves or pacing back and forth
  • 01:13:18
    you'll see two people sitting across
  • 01:13:19
    from each other two study partners
  • 01:13:21
    apparently studying together working on
  • 01:13:23
    the same problem and they're not talking
  • 01:13:25
    at all just thinking for like an hour
  • 01:13:27
    but I understand in the outside world
  • 01:13:29
    it's not a normal thing it's not really
  • 01:13:30
    socially acceptable but it should be and
  • 01:13:32
    I heavily recommend it to you spend long
  • 01:13:34
    periods of time just thinking not on
  • 01:13:37
    your phone not reading not typing notes
  • 01:13:39
    not discussing things with your friend
  • 01:13:41
    just thinking and that's it and it
  • 01:13:43
    doesn't need to be like a sensory
  • 01:13:44
    deprivation thing or anything crazy like
  • 01:13:46
    that pace around talk out your thoughts
  • 01:13:47
    to yourself or write them out whatever
  • 01:13:49
    helps but just think take time to think
  • 01:13:52
    and that's it it is invaluable to get
  • 01:13:55
    into the habit of just doing that okay
  • 01:13:57
    final section of the video we've gone
  • 01:13:59
    through all these techniques you can use
  • 01:14:00
    but there's obviously way mortar than
  • 01:14:02
    that I'm just scratching the surface
  • 01:14:03
    here I'm doing my best and again I'm
  • 01:14:04
    just a random guy on YouTube I'm a
  • 01:14:06
    nobody this is very much like writing
  • 01:14:08
    advice you can go to your favorite
  • 01:14:09
    author in the world have them tell you
  • 01:14:10
    all about their processes you can listen
  • 01:14:12
    to all the Brandon Sanderson lectures on
  • 01:14:14
    YouTube and you still won't be able to
  • 01:14:15
    write books like Brandon Sanderson so
  • 01:14:16
    the real question is what's the best way
  • 01:14:18
    to improve on your own how do you get
  • 01:14:20
    better at analysis on your own and I'm
  • 01:14:22
    saying beside practice obviously just
  • 01:14:23
    like writing the best ways to practice
  • 01:14:25
    get in the hours getting the feedback 40
  • 01:14:27
    hours blah blah blah but is there more
  • 01:14:29
    you can do yes there is more I'm calling
  • 01:14:31
    this the Sammy method even though he and
  • 01:14:33
    I came up with it together to compare
  • 01:14:34
    the star king Sammy is my Victor comedic
  • 01:14:36
    Academia functions and pairs you have a
  • 01:14:38
    study partner you have more than one and
  • 01:14:39
    it can be different study partners for
  • 01:14:40
    different subjects and at different
  • 01:14:41
    times throughout the scholarly part of
  • 01:14:43
    your life but most often people will end
  • 01:14:45
    up finding like their OTP study buddy
  • 01:14:46
    who you just work so well with and for
  • 01:14:49
    me it's this guy Sammy we've studied
  • 01:14:50
    talmud together for like 14 years and we
  • 01:14:52
    still studied together like four times a
  • 01:14:53
    week he's not into analyzing stories
  • 01:14:55
    like I am he's not a content creator or
  • 01:14:57
    anything like that he's a dentist but
  • 01:14:58
    anyway so we were in teacher Forest
  • 01:14:59
    class for three and a half years and the
  • 01:15:01
    way teacher 4 ran his class would be to
  • 01:15:03
    prepare all the data beforehand but not
  • 01:15:05
    theorize until class time and then we
  • 01:15:08
    his students we'd get to see him come
  • 01:15:10
    with this theories on this spot he would
  • 01:15:12
    talk through his entire process he'd ask
  • 01:15:14
    questions he'd talk it through with us
  • 01:15:15
    he would hear our theories he would talk
  • 01:15:17
    about what he liked what he didn't like
  • 01:15:18
    about them we would watch him move on
  • 01:15:20
    his own around different parts of the
  • 01:15:21
    data set and he'd propose rough ideas
  • 01:15:23
    and we'd see him tweak them expand them
  • 01:15:25
    question them perfect them until they
  • 01:15:27
    became the brilliant beautiful theories
  • 01:15:29
    that we were there to hear it was a
  • 01:15:31
    great way to teach and the way Sammy and
  • 01:15:33
    I took advantage of that class structure
  • 01:15:34
    was to review his class like almost by
  • 01:15:36
    the minute we were breaking up into the
  • 01:15:38
    tiniest steps we could lay it all out
  • 01:15:40
    and our goal was to find three things
  • 01:15:42
    how exactly precisely does each step
  • 01:15:45
    lead to the next what would we have
  • 01:15:47
    thought to do at that stage or what did
  • 01:15:48
    we do when we were that stage and why
  • 01:15:50
    did he do what he did instead if he
  • 01:15:52
    fixated on a random data point we didn't
  • 01:15:54
    see as very important what did he see in
  • 01:15:56
    that and what were we missing and why
  • 01:15:58
    did we miss it if he has a question that
  • 01:16:00
    was different from what we asked a
  • 01:16:01
    different question entirely like a
  • 01:16:03
    question we missed or just a different
  • 01:16:04
    formulation of a question we have again
  • 01:16:06
    why did he do it his way what was our
  • 01:16:08
    Instinct why did his way lead to more
  • 01:16:10
    and Arsley to dead end what was his
  • 01:16:12
    first step in answering the question why
  • 01:16:14
    did he see that as the first step did we
  • 01:16:16
    see it also as the first step why not
  • 01:16:18
    and then how did it lead to the next
  • 01:16:19
    step would we have gotten to the next
  • 01:16:20
    step why not why was he able to get
  • 01:16:22
    there what did he seen it what didn't we
  • 01:16:23
    see why not Etc obviously there are a
  • 01:16:25
    lot of creative leaps in theorizing you
  • 01:16:27
    cannot connect each step precisely which
  • 01:16:29
    is what we were trying to do you cannot
  • 01:16:30
    do that but our goal was to get as close
  • 01:16:32
    as we possibly could get and yes this
  • 01:16:34
    was as obsessive as it sounds we knew
  • 01:16:36
    that it was over analyzing we knew that
  • 01:16:37
    too we were very realistic about what we
  • 01:16:39
    were doing here a lot of it led nowhere
  • 01:16:41
    and we expected that going in but that
  • 01:16:43
    said it was Far and Away the best tool
  • 01:16:45
    we had and it was incredibly effective
  • 01:16:47
    for us we did for about two years two
  • 01:16:48
    and a half years in teacher divorce
  • 01:16:49
    class his style was perfect for it as I
  • 01:16:51
    described and his ideas had the right
  • 01:16:53
    kind of Brilliance I would say for that
  • 01:16:55
    type of process and doesn't work for
  • 01:16:56
    every type of idea after this we moved
  • 01:16:58
    on to teacher 5's class and we couldn't
  • 01:16:59
    do this because his ideas were just a
  • 01:17:01
    level Beyond and that was that you just
  • 01:17:03
    can't always do this method but yeah
  • 01:17:04
    that's what we did analyze analysis kind
  • 01:17:07
    of obvious when you say it out loud I
  • 01:17:08
    definitely recommend trying this where
  • 01:17:10
    you're able to do it to whatever degree
  • 01:17:12
    you're able to find ideas you like see
  • 01:17:14
    how the people got there try to define
  • 01:17:15
    the steps and try to figure out what you
  • 01:17:17
    did differently at each step it is often
  • 01:17:19
    incredibly speculative you often don't
  • 01:17:21
    get answers but in the long term very
  • 01:17:24
    very fruitful process okay that is it
  • 01:17:26
    did you find this video helpful let me
  • 01:17:27
    know I can definitely relate to wanting
  • 01:17:29
    methodology content my friends and I
  • 01:17:30
    used to beg our teachers to do
  • 01:17:32
    methodology lectures or discussions or
  • 01:17:34
    to just give us advice about it and part
  • 01:17:35
    of the reason why people don't talk
  • 01:17:36
    about it is because it's very difficult
  • 01:17:38
    to talk about it is hard to isolate
  • 01:17:40
    patterns of your own thought when
  • 01:17:41
    thinking itself isn't something you
  • 01:17:42
    focus on when thinking it is incredibly
  • 01:17:45
    difficult and I think it falls into the
  • 01:17:46
    Trap I mentioned in one part of the
  • 01:17:47
    video but certain topics people want to
  • 01:17:49
    be mysterious they don't believe you
  • 01:17:50
    should think about them that you should
  • 01:17:51
    try to understand them like when I made
  • 01:17:53
    that beautiful video anytime you try to
  • 01:17:54
    analyze Beauty you always get people
  • 01:17:55
    saying no Beauty cannot be defined by
  • 01:17:57
    definition everyone is tried and failed
  • 01:17:59
    you can't do it and they might be saying
  • 01:18:00
    that because beauty is this difficult
  • 01:18:02
    Topic in terms of the variety of how it
  • 01:18:04
    manifests and how equivocally we use the
  • 01:18:05
    term but more often is because people
  • 01:18:06
    see beauty as this pure thing and they
  • 01:18:08
    don't want to Sully that Purity with
  • 01:18:10
    icky yucky mundane thinking it's the
  • 01:18:12
    same with thinking itself people are
  • 01:18:14
    very comfortable with the idea that
  • 01:18:15
    thinking and coming up with Big Ideas
  • 01:18:16
    profound ideas uncovering fundamental
  • 01:18:19
    truths is this magical mysterious
  • 01:18:21
    process because the ideas feel cool in
  • 01:18:23
    that way and they want the mechanism
  • 01:18:24
    that generates those ideas to feel cool
  • 01:18:26
    in the same way but that's just not the
  • 01:18:28
    reality if you want to get better at
  • 01:18:29
    thinking you're just like anything else
  • 01:18:30
    you study it you practice it and you
  • 01:18:32
    learn how it works sports fans are the
  • 01:18:33
    ones who love the idea of natural talent
  • 01:18:35
    but actual athletes will often tell you
  • 01:18:36
    yeah there is some talent but it's often
  • 01:18:38
    more about hard work and experience and
  • 01:18:40
    understanding specific things and that
  • 01:18:43
    may be more boring and may take the
  • 01:18:44
    magic out of it but it's true I want to
  • 01:18:46
    end this by saying I don't know if
  • 01:18:47
    people are sick of hearing this for me
  • 01:18:48
    especially my patrons endless thanks to
  • 01:18:50
    my teachers and that's also part of what
  • 01:18:52
    made me really apprehensive about making
  • 01:18:53
    a video like this I don't think I'm like
  • 01:18:54
    this big smart guy just because I make
  • 01:18:56
    videos on YouTube and it does make me
  • 01:18:57
    uncomfortable that people want to know
  • 01:18:58
    how this brain of mine works how it
  • 01:19:00
    functions how it comes up with all these
  • 01:19:02
    brilliant intricate wires deep whatever
  • 01:19:04
    that's not me I don't see myself that
  • 01:19:05
    way if you've watched my videos if
  • 01:19:06
    you've seen me discussing things in
  • 01:19:08
    comments you know that I am always
  • 01:19:09
    finding problems with my own ideas I'm
  • 01:19:10
    off often agreeing to other people's
  • 01:19:12
    critiques I'm trying my best to rethink
  • 01:19:13
    things and Shore up the weaker parts of
  • 01:19:15
    my analyzes because I am pretty sloppy
  • 01:19:16
    and my ideas have a lot of holes they're
  • 01:19:18
    often inelegant and don't really get to
  • 01:19:19
    the depth I'm hoping for or they're
  • 01:19:21
    super speculative or not fully developed
  • 01:19:22
    or they're formulated more for an
  • 01:19:23
    impressive impact than for strict
  • 01:19:25
    accuracy there's a lot of problems that
  • 01:19:26
    is fact that is not arguable so it's
  • 01:19:28
    weird making something like this that's
  • 01:19:30
    probably why I wanted to stress and to
  • 01:19:31
    prove that so much of the stuff people
  • 01:19:33
    compliment me on in my videos isn't like
  • 01:19:34
    me being this amazing thinker because
  • 01:19:36
    I'm amazing I'm a beneficiary of a
  • 01:19:37
    fantastic education and a fantastic
  • 01:19:39
    tradition of Education I really did want
  • 01:19:41
    to play for yourself like teacher 5
  • 01:19:42
    outlining literally in the most
  • 01:19:44
    important methodology rule I know of ask
  • 01:19:46
    what not why in a recording from 50
  • 01:19:48
    years ago and to play for you the moment
  • 01:19:50
    teacher 4 actually taught me sitting in
  • 01:19:52
    his class in 2010 the forget the facts
  • 01:19:54
    idea and also if you happen to notice
  • 01:19:55
    the background footage was from all
  • 01:19:57
    these places that had to do with my
  • 01:19:58
    academic tradition there's a little walk
  • 01:20:00
    through tummy to history 1800 ish years
  • 01:20:02
    of it because my teachers didn't come up
  • 01:20:04
    with a stuff either although to be fair
  • 01:20:05
    teacher 5 came up with quite a lot of it
  • 01:20:07
    but he was a beneficiary of the Brisco
  • 01:20:08
    Dera which originated here more or less
  • 01:20:10
    close to here in an area known as breast
  • 01:20:12
    and Belarus then known to Jews as brisk
  • 01:20:15
    in Lithuania in the 1800s welcome to
  • 01:20:16
    brisk sort of and brisk was told by his
  • 01:20:20
    father who is the head teacher of this
  • 01:20:22
    place who learned under a student of
  • 01:20:23
    this guy we call the genius of vilna who
  • 01:20:25
    lived here in Vilnius Lithuania in the
  • 01:20:27
    1700s that commentary mentioned teacher
  • 01:20:29
    3 grilling us on with that separation of
  • 01:20:31
    points thing he lived right here in this
  • 01:20:32
    French Town Tua about 900 years ago and
  • 01:20:35
    then further back we get here to
  • 01:20:36
    Fallujah one of the two places in Iraq
  • 01:20:38
    where the talmud was written between the
  • 01:20:39
    third and sixth centuries I am a very
  • 01:20:41
    lucky person to be exposed to this 2000
  • 01:20:43
    year old culture of exactly this kind of
  • 01:20:45
    analysis in one form or another and I'm
  • 01:20:47
    so grateful that it's something that I
  • 01:20:49
    can share with you because I love this
  • 01:20:51
    kind of analysis more than any of you I
  • 01:20:53
    can say that confidently I live for this
  • 01:20:54
    it's brought a kind of light to my life
  • 01:20:56
    that nothing else will ever approximate
  • 01:20:57
    in any form and I'm happy when I can do
  • 01:20:59
    my part in lining up little parts of
  • 01:21:01
    your lives in the same way but anyway
  • 01:21:03
    this video was in response to hitting
  • 01:21:05
    200 000 subscribers I cannot believe all
  • 01:21:08
    the support you guys have given me it is
  • 01:21:09
    just unreal to me I I uploaded my first
  • 01:21:11
    Arcane video in November 2nd 2021 so
  • 01:21:14
    it's been almost exactly a year and a
  • 01:21:15
    half a few days short for getting 200
  • 01:21:17
    000 subscribers that is nuts that's
  • 01:21:20
    crazy to me this whole Channel what
  • 01:21:21
    you've done for me has transformed my
  • 01:21:23
    life in so many ways it's transformed my
  • 01:21:25
    livelihood what I do every day how I
  • 01:21:27
    think how I write and transformed
  • 01:21:29
    fundamentally how I enjoy fiction now
  • 01:21:30
    and who I enjoy it with so all the
  • 01:21:32
    Gratitude in the world to all of you if
  • 01:21:35
    you're subbed if you're not sub doesn't
  • 01:21:36
    matter even if you just watch the
  • 01:21:38
    channel every so often a couple videos
  • 01:21:39
    here and there it is the most incredible
  • 01:21:41
    feeling to have found people who
  • 01:21:43
    appreciate what you have to contribute
  • 01:21:44
    so truly thank you I'm gonna keep making
  • 01:21:47
    videos I'm not stopping or anything like
  • 01:21:49
    that so I'll see you again in a week or
  • 01:21:51
    two for more analysis content shout out
  • 01:21:52
    to the patrons as always consider
  • 01:21:54
    joining for two dollars getting access
  • 01:21:55
    to our wonderful thriving patreon
  • 01:21:57
    Discord server where we talk about all
  • 01:21:59
    the writing stuff we love to talk about
  • 01:22:00
    and make writer friends and help each
  • 01:22:01
    other with projects and volunteer to
  • 01:22:03
    read and give feedback and start writing
  • 01:22:04
    groups Etc it's a bunch of writing nerds
  • 01:22:06
    being ready nerds so hop on board if you
  • 01:22:08
    want we'd love to have you special shout
  • 01:22:09
    out to new High tier patrons and
  • 01:22:13
    anyway I really hope you enjoyed this it
  • 01:22:15
    was hard to make in a different way than
  • 01:22:17
    my other content but it was also super
  • 01:22:18
    rewarding and super fun so thanks for
  • 01:22:20
    200k and thanks for watching
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