Optimal thought and optimal fitness through reason, logic, science, passion, and wisdom.

Tangents

“Tangents” are an antidote to Platonism, i.e., to keeping ideas from being detached from reality, an unfortunate phenomenon that drives students to ask “when are we ever going to use this?” — until they tune out and give up.

Tangents are necessary for good teaching and in rational education. As long as they are relevant tangents to “the topic.” Some tangents are irrelevant and distracting, and some “tangents” are really just off-topic irrelevancies.

Proper tangents connect ideas to reality, connect ideas students would never have thought of connecting, and connect ideas to practical action.

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