Einstein's Tea Party: The Challenge of Explaining Complex Concepts Simply (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: The Essence of Simple Explanations The story goes that Einstein was invited for a tea party shortly after his arrival in America. His hostess then asked him to briefly explain to fellow guests what Relativity Theory is. He politely replied that it was not really possible to explain Relativity Theory so quickly, but that he would at least try to explain why it was not possible. Einstein then told a short story to emphasize that concepts cannot be explained if the audience lacks the necessary reference point. Einstein said that he and a visually impaired man had a conversation about a glass of cold milk. The man asked Einstein what milk is. Einstein replied that it is a white fluid. The visually impaired man then asked Einstein what white is. Einstein said it was the color of swans. The visually impaired man then asked what swans are. Einstein answered that swans are big birds with crooked necks. The visually impaired man then asked Einstein what crooked is. Einstein took the man's arm, stretched it and said, this is straight. Then Einstein bent the man's arm and said, and this is crooked. The visually impaired man smiled and said, now I finally know what milk is. Obviously the man didn't have a clue what Einstein was getting at, as his frame of reference lacked knowledge essential to the explanation. So, what has this anecdote to do with the essence of simple explanations? Firstly, one needs to understand a concept to be able to effectively explain it to someone else. Secondly, one needs to know one's audience and consider their frame of reference before one can effectively simplify a complex concept. Thirdly, one needs to plan carefully how you will explain step by step, where to start, what to emphasize, where to end. Of course Einstein understood and knew better than anyone else what the theory of relativity was all about. However, Einstein did not know his audience, nor did he plan beforehand how he would go about explaining the theory of relativity. Consequently, he decided it would be better to rather explain why he would not explain relativity theory to the party guests. Thank you for watching. Please subscribe to my channel.