The Success of Outsiders

Jonah Lehrer is an engaging speaker. As an alumni of Oxoford University, he shares a unique perspective on modern studies in behavior. His approach to academics and learning is provocative, boldly stating that the key to learning in college is to remain an outsider.

As a student, Lehrer suggests that there is no better tactic for acquiring knowledge than immersing yourself in a strange and unfamiliar atmosphere. He advises the student audience to force themselves into learning new perspectives on the world through opposite fields of study. Running along the margins of your field allows for riskier thinking and more innovative solutions. Arts student should experience math courses, engineers should understand the perspective of painters and the removed should become involved.