Why simplicity might be the value that we need to embrace.

Ad for the Apple II. They eventually moved on to ‘Bigger Screen is the ultimate sophistication.’

So they say that Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication. When I say ‘they’ — you might believe I mean Apple’s great unskilled philosopher capitalist salesman, Steve Jobs. But this quote was originally credited to the great genius Leonardo Da Vinci.

A guy with great taste in hats and a highly judgmental face.

Leo was a polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and inventor. Meanwhile, earlier while ‘cooking’ some ramen noodles, I had to google the meaning of ‘polymath’. Had anyone earned the right to serious pretentiousness as much as him? I don’t think so.

Meanwhile, we are within a knowledge crisis today. We have plenty of information available, but our motives have changed. Do we seek knowledge to quench curiosity? No, just for the benefits. When we see ignorance, do we view it as an opportunity to enlighten? No, only to ridicule.

Hence, rather unsurprisingly, technical jargon became the prevalent medium for the spread of higher knowledge and related discussions? The people who control such conversations cater only to field experts. Outsiders assume that these conversations would be too full of jargon for them. This cycle would keep knowledge out of the reach of outsiders — even in the Internet age.

Where is this jargon? Economic papers and technical books. Law acts and judgments. In finance and taxation bills. And now, maybe also in conversations. Designed to repel proles who do not have the enthusiasm to delve into semantics meant only for intellectuals.

(That last line is an exemplar of the linguistic lexicon preferred by the pseudos — as is this one.)

One of my favorite intellectuals, Richard Feynman, believed in explaining complex concepts to students in the simplest possible way — called Freshman Lingo.

Albert Einstein said something similar:

Einstein‘s knowledge game was on point— almost as iconic as his true legacy, an on fleek hairdo.

Let’s untie this knot with the help of a popular movie.

Remember the one with the dream levels and architects? In the movie Inception, the characters Cobb(played by the mini Leo)and Eames(Bane) discuss the ingredients needed to perform inception — the act of implanting an idea inside someone’s else mind. Watch this video:

Eames: “You need the simplest version of the idea in order for the idea to grow naturally in the subject’s mind. It’s a very subtle art.”

One of the most convoluted movies in history tried to show us the evergreen value of simplicity. The irony is beautiful.

Eames was easily my favorite character from the movie. He was curious and wasn’t afraid of taking risks — which made him the main source of fun in an otherwise serious movie.

Movies and stories reduce concepts into scenes — feeding ideas subconsciously. If anyone says that he doesn’t really ‘get’ much from art, its because he probably wasn’t looking to. But does anyone have the time and patience to sift through academic papers and understand them? My goodness, no.

‘I was reading “Application of Probabilities in Civil Law: The Rudimentary Cases” - to estimate my divorce settlement. I eventually settled for Xanax pills and water.’

In plenty ways, the current upheavals that we’re witnessing could be interpreted as cultural conflicts between the highly educated and their lower counterparts. What do the pseudos consider this as? A conflict between the intelligent and the foolish. Because in their minds, intelligence can be defined by the degree that you hold or by the college where you graduated.

Is it a mere coincidence that the usage of ‘pseudo-intellectuals’ and ‘elites’ rose exponentially within this period?

If nothing else, at least agree that the simplest ideas spread the fastest. Trump knew this and used it to his benefit. He realized that a wrong but simple idea sticks much more compared to a correct but complicated one. This is why — “Tax Cuts are good for creating jobs and growth”- will never be out of use in the US.

With the internet and social media, ideas are freely and readily available and users now have attention spans of gnats. Simple but wrong ideas have a massive edge.

Does this mean that we must ignore complexity? No. Ideas must strive to communicate the whole truth, but simply.

Inception deals with a complex topic. The film is Nolan’s attempt to create the simplest possible story on that subject without compromising the truth.

He was also attempting inception — in the minds of his audiences.

Can we try to remove the futile pretentiousness that only excludes outsiders and encourages sophistry?

If we can’t, it would mean that knowledge is only a means to get into sorority clubs today.

But if we succeed, we might have a chance to spread knowledge, rekindle the spirit of curiosity, and spark the beginning of a new Renaissance.

Oh, what’s the difference between a pseudo and a real one?

The real one can perform Inception.