ALL THE REALLY BIG IDEAS

To understand is to know what to do.

PHYSICS

Make it as simple as possible, but no more simple.

CHEMISTRY

Nothing is lost, nothing is created—everything is transformed.

BIOLOGY

Nature decides without a boss and has no foresight.

ENGINEERING

All you want to know is where you’re going to die, so you’ll never go there.

MATH

Basic numerical fluency: without it, you are a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

ECONOMICS

Markets decide without a boss and have no foresight.

WISDOM

Insight derived by implicit learning that is likely tracking real, causal relationships.

SYSTEMS

Dynamic causality: every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

BUSINESS

Systematic guessing and error-correction: how to get rich without getting lucky.

TRAINING

Training your body is directly linked to your ability to create meaning in life.

COOKING

Making great-tasting food very quickly isn’t as hard as you think it is.

GOLF

Nothing connects all these ideas together better than golf.