An intriguing essay on essays
Being a techie and all, over the last couple years I’ve read stuff by, or allusions to, Paul Graham, and while it seemed solid I mostly remember thinking that he has the same name as my grade-school/junior-high music teacher (who was actually pretty cool). But I’m really glad I got to hear him talk at OSCON 2004, because he had some really cool insights that made me pay more attention to stuff he writes.
I found his latest essay, The Age of the Essay, quite fascinating, especially since it really isn’t about technical topics at all. Rather, he explores what we write, why we write—more importanly, why we should write—and manages to connect it with flaws in our educational system. This kind of interdisciplinary meandering is why I’m glad I majored in LAS physics, rather than Engineering physics, while at Illinois. While I may not have come out of undergrad with as finely honed physics and math skills as some others, I’m glad I had the opportunity to take classes in things like philosophy and linguistics, which allowed me then and now to be aware of how fascinating the world of ideas can be when one’s focus isn’t too narrow.