The Best LEARNING Book in History - 40 Years AHEAD of its Time

Summary

This is a review of the book 'Writing to Learn' by William Zinsser. It explains how writing can be used as a tool to clarify thinking, reveal gaps in understanding, and push learning into new areas even for technical topics like math and physics. The book includes passages of good writing examples from different disciplines which Zinsser analyzes. He argues writing makes you organize ideas and think clearly. The book does not give step-by-step instructions but encourages explanatory and exploratory writing.

Takeaways

• 😃 ジンサーは70年近くプロのライターとして活動
• 😊 ジンサーの本「上手く書く技術」は150万部以上売れたベストセラー
• 📝 書くことはあらゆる分野で学ぶためのツールとなる
• 🤔 書くことで知識の穴を発見し、理解を深めることができる
• 😐 ジンサー自身も書くことが苦手だった
• 📚 本の後半ではジンサーが選んだ優れた文章例が解説されている

Q & A

What was William Zinsser's profession?

William Zinsser was a professional writer for about 70 years. He worked at the New York Herald Tribune, wrote for The New Yorker, and was editor of the Yale magazine.

How many copies has William Zinsser's book On Writing Well sold?

William Zinsser's book On Writing Well has sold over 1.5 million copies.

What does Zinsser say writing can help us do?

Zinsser says writing can help us find out what we know and what we don't know. It can expose holes in our knowledge or reasoning.

What are the two types of writing Zinsser suggests are useful?

The two types are explanatory writing, where you explain what you know, and exploratory writing, which is more free-form writing where you write anything about a topic.

What does Zinsser say about the writers featured in Part 2 of his book?

Zinsser says all the writers in Part 2 wrote clearly because the act of writing and rewriting made them think clearly, organize their ideas, understand what they knew, and push themselves into new areas of knowledge.

Why doesn't Zinsser's book give concrete how-to advice?

Zinsser intentionally leaves the how-to advice implicit, not wanting to overwhelm readers with repetition of the same obvious points.

What writing techniques does Zinsser's approach encompass?

Zinsser's suggested techniques of explanatory and exploratory writing encompass retrieval practice, spaced practice, elaborative interrogation, and interleaving.

What does Zinsser recommend about ending a piece of writing?

Zinsser says when you're ready to end, stop. Make sure you've presented all the facts, made your point, and head for the exit.

Who is the sponsor mentioned in the video?

The sponsor mentioned is Brilliant, an online learning platform focused on math, science, and computer science.

What discount does the video offer for Brilliant?

The video offers 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription for the first 200 people to click the link.