Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning

Josh Waitzkin discusses chess, martial arts, and ideas from his new book, The Art of Learning.

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[Maphido]

Day[9] made me do it!

[michaelfarris10]

Waitzkin talks of pursuing excellence, of learning from the past and integrating it with your present mindfulness, Far from being talentless, he pursues the talent of teaching others to cultivate themselves, a far more noble goal than 'GM' acquisition. The text is wonderful and insightful - it would do a person well to follow his own 'academic biography' or her own path of growth to improve upon the talents he/she has.

[jrpickhardt]

"The negative moments have been the ones that have spurred my learning process most intensely." - Josh Waitzkin

[etreenfleur]

Finally someone said it: Chess is a Form of Martial Arts :)

[TheBetito123]

Chess Master 10th edition

[traumij]

Nice interview, Josh your a beast.

[1rd69]

Loved the style of interviewing <3

[Adam Pattrick]

Grep

[The Gnostic Truth]

So to apply what Josh says about the art of teaching, if illusion were not in order to cause us suffering per se, but in order to teach us, then why were we made to forget what we already inwardly know? That is what illusion does. But teaching isn't to do that, but to do the opposite, to unobstruct. If I obstruct you on the pretense that I wanted to teach you about freedom, that is just silly. I could have just left you be and you didn't even need to learn, you already knew. That is the Dao

[The Gnostic Truth]

So it seems like a subtle point, but it is profound. In this universe of suffering and illusions (which are there in order to maintain suffering, not in order to be self-dispelling, per the meaning of illusion (or else there is no illusion)), in this universe we learn IN SPITE OF suffering, not because of it. We learn BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW but have been FORCED to forget due to the illusion. We struggle against SUFFERING, it is not our teacher, but our enemy (and faux teacher).

[The Gnostic Truth]

I feel what he's saying about learning from the negative, and of course trying to gain from it rather than merely lose. And most important, to learn from it in such a way that the gains don't come from further suffering anymore. I think this is still a demonstration of the evil-ness of this universe, because teaching with suffering is evil and unnecessary. The essence was already within us, so the fact is that it was hidden so that we WOULD suffer, not so that we would learn: we learn anyway.

[The Gnostic Truth]

I just completed Josh's Art of Learning course in the Grandmaster Edition of Chessmaster. It has really helped my relationship to the game in so many ways. I was also alienated from the game for various reasons, but I originally loved it in a way that transcended winning (without denying the importance of it, of course). I now know that I really was just in love with an ASPECT of the game, and when that aspect was obstructed the game fell away. It is about the "nei bu fen" the internal part.