How to Understand Everything (and why) by Eric Drexler on 17 May 2009 In science and technology, there is a broad and

integrative kind of knowledge that can be learned, b t isn!t ta ght" It!s i#$ortant, tho gh, beca se it #akes creative work #ore $rod ctive and #akes costly bl nders less likely" %or#al ed cation in science and engineering centers on teaching facts and $roble#&solving skills in a series of narrow to$ics" It is tr e that a few to$ics, altho gh narrow in content, have s ch broad a$$lication that they are the#selves integrative' (hese incl de )at a bare #ini# #* s bstantial ch nks of #athe#atics and the basics of classical #echanics and electro#agnetis#, with the basics of ther#odyna#ics and + ant # #echanics close behind" Most s b,ects in science and engineering, however, are narrower than these, and advanced ed cation #eans dee$er and narrower ed cation" -hat this kind of ed cation o#its is knowledge of extent and str ct re of h #an knowledge on a trans&disci$linary scale" (his #eans nderstanding . in a $artic lar, li#ited sense . everything" (o avoid bl nders and abs rdities, to recogni/e cross&disci$linary o$$ort nities, and to #ake sense of new ideas, re+ ires knowledge of at least the o tlines of every field that #ight be relevant to the to$ics of interest" 0y knowing the o tlines of a field, I #ean knowing the answers, to so#e reasonable a$$roxi#ation, to + estions like these' What are the physical phenomena? What causes them? What are their magnitudes? When might they be important? How well are they understood? How well can they be modeled? What do they make possible? What do they forbid? 1nd even #ore f nda#ental than these are + estions of knowledge about knowledge: What is known today? What are the gaps in what I know? When would I need to know more to solve a problem? How could I find what I need? It takes far less knowledge to recogni/e a $roble# than to solve it, yet in key res$ects, that bit of knowledge is #ore i#$ortant' -ith recognition, a $roble# #ay be avoided, or solved, or an idea abandoned" -itho t recognition, a hidden $roble# #ay invalidate the labor of an ho r, or a lifeti#e" 2ack of a little knowledge can be a dangero s thing" 2ooking back over the last few decades, I can see that I!ve invested considerably #ore than 10,000 ho rs in learning abo t the str ct res, relationshi$s, contents, controversies, o$en $roble#s, li#itations, ca$abilities, develo$ing an nderstanding of how the fields covered in the #a,or ,o rnals fit together to constit te the c rrent state of science and technology" In so#e areas, of co rse, I!ve d g dee$er into the contents and tools of a field, driven by the needs of $roble# solving3 in others, I know only the sha$e of the box and where it sits" (his sort of knowledge is a kind of s$ecialty, really . a li#ited slice of learning, b t oriented crosswise" 0eca se of this orientation, tho gh, it $rovides leverage in integrating knowledge fro# diverse so rces" I a# s r$rised by the range of fields in which I can converse with scientists and engineers at abo t the level of a colleag e in an ad,acent field" I often know what to ask abo t their research, and so#eti#es #ake s ggestions that light their eyes" In a follow&on $ost, I $lan to say #ore abo t the #ethod of st dy that I!ve fo nd effective" I got rolling with the new ,o rnal sections of the MI( libraries, b t today, the internet sho ld serve even better"

How to earn !bout Everything by Eric Drexler on 27 May 2009 My recent $ost 45ow to 6nderstand Everything )and -hy*7 disc ssed an nta ght, integrative kind of knowledge, and why is so i#$ortant in science and engineering . how it can leverage s$eciali/ed knowledge and i#$rove the trade&off between bold innovation and costly bl nders" I disc ssed the nat re of this knowledge and how it can be a$$lied, b t not how to learn it"

8ote that the title above isn!t 4how to learn everything7, b t 4how to learn about everything7" (he distinction I have in #ind is between knowing the inside of a to$ic in dee$ detail . #any facts and $roble#&solving skills . and knowing the str ct re and context of a to$ic' essential facts, what $roble#s can be solved by the skilled, and how the to$ic fits with others" (his knowledge isn!t s $erficial in a s rvey&co rse sense' It is abo t both dee$ str ct re and $ractical a$$lications" 9nowing about, in this sense, is cr cial to nderstanding a new $roble# and what # st be learned in #ore de$th in order to solve it" (he cross&disci$linary reach of nanotechnology al#ost de#ands this as a condition of co#$etence" "tudying to learn about everything (o intellect ally a#bitio s st dents I reco##end investing a lot of ti#e in a #ode of st dy that #ay feel wrong" 1n i#$licit lesson of classroo# ed cation is that s ccessf l st dy leads to good test scores, b t this $attern of st dy is radically different" It c ltivates nderstanding of a kind that won!t hel$ $ass tests . the classroo# kind, that is"

1" :ead and ski# ,o rnals and textbooks that )at the #o#ent* yo only half nderstand" Incl de Science and
Nature. 2" Don!t halt, dig a hole, and st dy a $artic lar s b,ect as if yo had to $ass a test on it" ;" Don!t avoid a s b,ect beca se it see#s beyond yo . instead, read other half& nderstandable ,o rnals and textbooks to absorb #ore vocab lary, $ers$ective, and context, then circle back" <" 8otice that conce$ts #ake #ore sense when yo revisit a to$ic" =" 8otice which to$ics link in all directions, and $rovide keys to #any others" >onsider taking a class" ?" >ontin e ntil al#ost everything yo enco nter in Science and Nature #akes sense as a contrib tion to a field yo know so#ething abo t" Why is this effective? @o learned yo r native lang age by i##ersion, not by swallowing and reg rgitating s$oonf ls of gra##ar and vocab lary" -ith co#$rehension of words and the nstr ct red c rric l # of life ca#e what we call 4co##on sense7" (he ai# of what I!ve described is to learn an ex$anded lang age and to develo$ what a#o nts to co##on sense, b t abo t an nco##only broad slice of the world" I##ersion and grad al co#$rehension work, and I don!t know of any other way"

(his $rocess led #e to ex$lore the $otential of #olec lar nanotechnology as a basis for high&thro gh$ t ato#ically $recise #an fact ring" If broad&s$ectr # co##on sense were #ore wides$read a#ong scientists, there wo ld be no air of controversy aro nd the s b,ect, #ilestones like the 6"A" 8ational 1cade#ies re$ort on #olec lar #an fact ring wo ld have been reached a decade earlier, and today!s research agenda and $erce$tion of global $roble#s wo ld be very different"

How to study for a career in nanotechnology by Eric Drexler on 2< %ebr ary 2010 At dents often ask #e for advice on how to st dy for a career in nanotechnology, and as yo #ight i#agine, $roviding a good answer is challenging" 48anotechnology7 refers to a notorio sly broad range of areas of science and technology, and $rogress d ring a st dent!s career will o$en new areas, and so#e are yet to be i#agined" >hoices within this co#$lex and changing field sho ld reflect a st dent!s areas of interest and ability, c rrent backgro nd, level of a#bition, and willingness to to acce$t risk . there is a trade&off between $ioneering new directions and seeking a sec re career $ath" 5ere is an atte#$t to give a sef l answer that takes acco nt of these nknowns" My advice centers on f nda#entals, o tlining areas of knowledge are are niversally i#$ortant, and offering s ggestions for how to a$$roach both s$eciali/ed choices and learning in general" It incl des observations abo t the f t re of nanotechnology, the context for f t re careers" earn the fundamentals# and not $ust in science (he #ost basic re+ ire#ent for co#$etence in any $hysical technology is a broad and solid nderstanding of the nderlying $hysical sciences" Mathe#atics is the fo ndation of this fo ndation, and basic $hysics is the next layer"

>lassical #echanics and electro#agnetics are niversally i#$ortant, and the concerns of nanotechnology elevate the i#$ortance of ther#odyna#ics, statistical #echanics, and #olec lar + ant # #echanics" 1 flexible co#$etence in nanotechnology also re+ ires a so nd nderstanding of che#istry and che#ical synthesis, of bio#olec lar str ct re and f nction, of inter#olec lar forces, and of solids and s rfaces" (hese are i#$ortant areas of science, b t science is not technology" 1s I!ve disc ssed in 4(he 1nti$arallel Atr ct res of Acience and Engineering7, science and engineering are in a dee$ sense o$$osites, and # st not be conf sed" 8anotechnology today is a science&intensive area of engineering, largely beca se the $roble# of designing a nanostr ct re is often overshadowed by the $roble# of finding, by experiment, a way to #ake it" (his has i#$lications for choosing a co rse of st dy" Engineering and progress in nanotechnology 1 #eas re of $rogress in nanotechnology is growth of the range of $hysical syste#s that can be designed and deb gged witho t extensive ex$eri#entation" 1s a basis for i#$le#enting nanoscale digital syste#s, co##ercial se#icond ctor fabrication $rovides a $redictable design do#ain of this sort, and so#e areas of str ct ral D81 nanotechnology have beco#e al#ost as $redictable as car$entry" >o#$ tational tools are in a class of their own, an area of i##aterial technology that a$$lies to every area of #aterial technology" It!s i#$ortant to nderstand the ca$abilities and li#itations of these tools, and extending the# #akes a strategic contrib tion to $rogress" >o#$ tational tools tools are often the key to transfor#ing re$rod cible $rocesses and stable str ct res into reliable o$erations and b ilding blocks for engineering" (oday, better design tools are the key to nlocking the enor#o s $otential of folda#ers and self asse#bly as a basis for i#$le#enting co#$lex nanosyste#s" >o#$etence in engineering . and nderstanding how science can s $$ort it . re+ ires st dy of design $rinci$les and ex$erience in solving design $roble#s" 1s with $hysics, so#e lessons a$$ly across #any do#ains" 0eca se nanotechnology relies on innovations in #acro& and #icro&scale e+ i$#ent, engineering ed cation has i##ediate and strong relevance" 2ooking forward, the growth of nanosyste#s engineering will o$en increasing o$$ort nities for researchers with backgro nds that $rovide both the scientific knowledge necessary to nderstand new nanotechnologies and the engineering $roble#&solving abilities necessary to ex$loit the#" At dents ai#ing to $ioneer in directions that can o$en new worlds of nanotechnology sho ld learn eno gh of both science and engineering to solve cr cial $roble#s at the interface between the#" (he #ost i#$ortant of these is the $roble# of recogni/ing and develo$ing the #eans for syste#atic engineering in new do#ains, extracting solid toolsets fro# the flood of novelty&oriented nanoscience" In considering all of the above, kee$ in #ind that the general direction of nanotechnology leads toward greater $recision at the level of nanoscale co#$onents, #aking $rod cts of increasing co#$lexity and si/e, i#$le#ented in an increasing range of #aterials" Molec lar&level ato#ic $recision has wides$read a$$lications in nanotechnology today, and already $rovides co#$onents with the lti#ate $recision at the s#allest $ossible length scale" I ex$ect that the road forward will increasingly foc s on extending these ato#ically $recise technologies toward greater scale, co#$lexity, and #aterials + ality" I reco##end co rses of st dy that $re$are for this" %hoosing topics and ways to study them In both science and engineering, a good #ethodology for selecting an ideal co rse of st dy wo ld be to s rvey a co rse catalog and note which classes a$$ear in lists of $rere+ isites for advanced classes in relevant areas of science and engineering" (his indicates areas where it is i#$ortant to st dy and #aster the content" >o rses toward the $eri$hery of this network of $rere+ isites are good candidates for a different #ode of st dy, a #ode ai#ed at nderstanding the $roble#s an area addresses, the #ethods sed to solve the#, and how those $roble#s and #ethods fit in with the rest of science and technology" I disc ss this #ode of st dy in 45ow to 2earn 1bo t Everything7" It b ilds knowledge of a kind that can hel$ a st dent choose to$ics that call for dee$er, foc sed learning, and it can later hel$ greatly in $ractical work . scientists and engineers with broader knowledge will see #ore o$$ort nities and enco nter fewer nantici$ated $roble#s" (hese advantages #ean fewer days )#onths, years* lost and greater strides forward" %hoosing institutions 0eyond to$ics of st dy, I!# also asked to reco##end niversities and $rogra#s" It!s diffic lt to give a s$ecific answer, beca se a good choice de$ends on all of the above, and beca se for each of #any areas of science and technology, there are #any $ossible instit tions, $rogra#s, and research gro $s" I can only advise that st dents facing this decision first consider their ob,ectives, and then to look for instit tions and $eo$le able to hel$ the# get there" In $artic lar, niversities # st either offer a degree $rogra# that fits, or $rovide the flexibility to #ake one" I fo nd a ho#e in MI(!s Interdisci$linary Acience Brogra# )which I can!t reco##end, beca se it no longer exists*"

In ndergrad ate st dies, the general breadth, orientation, and + ality of a school is #ore i#$ortant than any foc sed ndergrad ate $rogra# that it is likely to have" Early involve#ent in research of al#ost any kind has a s$ecial val e' It can $rovide knowledge of kinds that can!t be learned fro# reading, fro# classes, or even fro# lab co rses" Bay s$ecial attention to research that st dies ato#ically $recise str ct res of significant si/e and co#$lexity" If that research has an engineering co#$onent . designing and #aking things . so # ch the better" >o##ents' :egarding the branches of che#istry yo #ention, I!d reco##end $hysical che#istry as an area to learn, and organic che#istry as an area to nderstand" Cario s facets of $hysical che#istry $rovide fo ndations that are essential to every area in the #olec lar sciences )incl ding organic che#istry*, and s $$orts both + alitative and + antitative nderstanding" :egarding another ite# on yo r list, the $hysical che#istry class yo !re considering will either re+ ire or teach a good deal of ther#odyna#ics" Drganic che#istry $lays a different role" It is a cr cial enabling technology in several of the areas of nanotechnology that I see as #ost i#$ortant, b t gen ine co#$etence at a creative level re+ ires #astery of an enor#o s body of knowledge that centers aro nd recogni/ing str ct ral $atterns and analogies and their i#$lications for che#ical reactivity" Drganic synthesis has been co#$ared to $laying chess, b t the r les are #ore s btle, n #ero s, and often re+ ire weighing contrary tendencies" 6nderstanding organic che#istry at a different level is achievable and val able" Eetting a sense of how it works and what it can do is a start" :ecogni/ing the #ost co##on #olec lar $atterns and che#ical transfor#ations is next" (his kind of knowledge can be ac+ ired by the kind of st dy that I disc ss here and here" 1bo t other + estions yo raise . :egarding $hysics, I reco##end checking the $rere+ isites for classes yo !d like to take )if yo had the ti#e* and consider getting those $rere+ isites whether yo take the follow&on classes or not" If yo $lan to work in bio#edical engineering, $robability and statistics will be i#$ortant" 1t a #ini# #, it!s necessary to nderstand what the vario s statistics and tests act ally #ean" Ao#e ele#entary #istakes are asto ndingly co##on, for exa#$le, #is nderstanding the significance of a state#ent like 4so&and&so is significant at the p F0"0= level7 )Science had a recent article on thisGand in a Nature blog tooG*" Df the #a,ors yo #ention, bio#edical engineering co ld be excellent for work on a$$lications, b t # ch less so for f nda#ental work in nanotechnology" >he#ical engineering is largely tangential here and is relevant al#ost entirely at the a$$lications end of the s$ectr #" Materials science is worth nderstanding no #atter what yo do" 0eyond the basics, it leans toward the a$$lications end, b t is also i#$ortant at the f nda#ental end" Bhysics can be ex$anded in #any directions, and can $rovide good basis for work at any $oint on the s$ectr # fro# a$$lications to fo ndations" :egardless of other st dies, learning how to think like an engineer . abo t #aking $atterns in the #aterial world confor# to $atterns in the #ind, rather than the vice versa . is essential if one ai#s to contrib te to $rogress in a technology" Even in science, this way of thinking is essential to choosing high&$ayoff research directions and nderstanding the needs of the $eo$le who will )with l ck* be sing the res lts" H 0illy 0ryant . (he theoretical and $hysical che#istry that yo #ention #ay serve well eno gh" Make s re that, one way or another, yo beco#e fa#iliar with )classical* #olec lar dyna#ics, $aying attention to the challenges of esti#ating free energies and reaction kinetics, and also with + ant # che#istry )density f nctional theory, f ll ab initio #ethods*, $aying s$ecial attention to where the standard #ethods fail for reasons of co#$ tational cost or inade+ ate treat#ent of electron correlation" Ate$$ing back fro# $hysics per se, it will be i#$ortant to know a good deal abo t #aterials and s rfaces, and abo t #acro#olec les and self&asse#bly" 8ote the i#$ortance of the first incre#ent of knowledge in related fields of science' 9nowing the conto rs of existing knowledge, what it!s called, and where it #atters" I!ve disc ssed this knowledge and a good way to learn it here and here"