

The Birth Of A Really Bad Idea: Peter Thiel And Knowing Less As A Life Strategy - alex_seidlitz
http://www.forbes.com/sites/billfischer/2011/06/28/the-birth-of-a-really-bad-idea-peter-thiel-knowing-less-as-a-life-strategy/

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lisper
[Disclosure: I am a 20-under-20 mentor.]

I think this guy has it exactly backwards. These kids _are_ going to
Greenland, which is to say, the real world, and hanging out with the Eskimos
(who, by the way, do not actually call themselves Eskimos, which is one of the
many things this guy would have known had he actually gone and hung out with
them). It's the kids going to college who are browsing the Burberry catalogs.
They come out with their shiny diplomas and their sparkling academic records,
which make them look very presentable at interviews, but render them largely
useless on the ice.

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mindcrime
The author of this article seems to be under the impression that the _only_
way to learn "more about the world" or to tap into the years of accumulated
knowledge, is to attend a traditional university. Talk about arrogance!

Learning is good, education is good, knowledge is good. I don't think Peter
Thiel would argue against any of those statements. And none of them are
incompatible with his program.

There are many paths to gaining knowledge, and not all of them include 4 years
at a traditional university, immediately after high-school.

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teyc
The 20-under-20 isn't about "no formal education". It is about formless
education, which is different to no education. Formless education is a style
of seeking knowledge, not just from formal educators, but Ali from
practitioners who are not normally engaged as a teacher.

Bruce Lee had explained that having "no form" means having access to all the
forms. But this is distinct from having no form at all, which is just
undisciplined fighting.

