I. Prologue

"If I Can't Explain It to Said Achmiz, I Probably Don't Understand It"

This post isn't really about him, but I'd like to begin with a tribute to my friend Said Achmiz, the wisest person I know.

The choice of adjective is deliberately chosen as term of art. Achmiz is not the most quick-witted, nor the most knowledgable, nor the most creative, nor the most savvy. I say wise because the nature of his peculiar talent is the same one ascribed to Socrates: he knows what he doesn't know.

Most people don't. At least, I don't. All too often, when asked, "Do you get what I'm saying?", I reply, "I think so," with perfect sincerity, only realizing later that I was lying—that I could not have paraphrased my interlocutor's ideas, let alone explained where I agreed or disagreed with them. In retrospect (and only in retrospect), it's clear that I didn't want to disrupt the harmonious give-and-take flow of social exchange, that I feared being seen as foolish or obstinate for having the temerity to say, "No, I don't understand"—and to continue standing by that No should understanding not be forthcoming.

The unique genius of Achmiz is simply that he's not afraid to be seen as foolish or obstinate. If he doesn't understand how you're using a term, he'll ask for a definition. If he doesn't see how to apply your abstract claim, he'll ask for an example. If your offered definition or example doesn't make sense to him, he'll say so. Bluffing doesn't work on him.

Occasionally it strikes me as a little odd when Said asks about some detail that I think he should have been able to fill in by himself, but it's no trouble: if I can spare the time (and it's worth it), I'm usually happy to type up the requested additional explanation. And if I can spare the time but can't come up with an explanation that will satisfy him, that's an alarming warning sign that my grasp of the topic wasn't as firm as I thought: I didn't know what I didn't know.

A few years ago, I was disappointed when the conclusion of a post that I had labored over for months didn't land in the comment section the way I wanted it to: what my words had meant in my head, wasn't the same as what the commenters took them to mean.

To help me figure out how to revise it, I emailed Said, explaining what I meant. He had some criticisms. I proposed a rewrite. He said the rewrite was still confusing. I wrote some additional expl...

Said Achmiz's Shortform

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Said Achmiz's Shortform

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