“You can get 12 months of work done in 11 months but you can’t get 12 months of work done in 12 months.” Please re-read the above sentence. At first glance, it doesn’t make any sense. Upon reflection, however, you may come to see the wisdom embedded within the statement. If you are constantly working,…

Most of us are familiar with the famous classroom dictum: i before e except after c. It is helpful most of the time but not always. For example, do you find it weird that the word “weird” isn’t spelled wierd? If you wish to stay open to unlearning, it’s helpful to remember that every rule…

“No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else.” This quotation is widely attributed to Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. Whenever you begin thinking that unlearning may no longer be necessary just remember this quotation. If nothing else, it should help keep you humble and open to the idea…

We like to believe we assess the truthfulness of information according to objective standards. According to new research, this isn’t so. People, it seems, can be influenced by something as simple as a headline or a decorative photo. (For an example, see this old post.) In other words, while a picture may be worth a…

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” –Mark Twain The path of unlearning can be steep and, often, the first step is the most difficult. The reason this is so isn’t necessarily because the journey ahead is so arduous (although often it can be), it…

One reason people are frequently caught by surprise by the future — be it the emergence of a new technology, the disruption of old business models or a shift in human behavior — is because they make the assumption that just because something has never happened in the past that it never will happen in…

What is the abbreviation for “pounds”? Did you say “lbs”? Congratulations, you are correct. Now, where does the abbreviation come from? It’s rather curious. None of the letters (l-b-s) appear in the word “pound.” What should be more curious is why you have never inquired into the matter (provided that is you don’t know the…

“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.” Right? Not so fast. Take a good look at the picture to the right and tell me if you don’t also see a rabbit. Unlearning requires that we embrace ambiguity and let go of dogmatic beliefs.

Everybody likes to be “in the know.” The problem with this is that it’s an impossible goal to achieve because knowledge is being created at an ever accelerating rate. This knowledge creation is a wonderful thing but it also implies that our ignorance is growing even faster (in the sense that it is impossible to…

This past spring I had the pleasure of visiting Paris with my family. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Rodin Museum. To my surprise, I came away enjoying Rodin’s “Burghers of Calais” far more than his most famous piece “The Thinker.” When Rodin created the piece for the city…