Thursday, December 17, 2009

Why Megacept?

In college I learned a number of useful and edifying things.

Perhaps the most useful at the time were the three necessary elements for an assigned essay:
  1. The CrucFac (crucial facts)
  2. The SpecRef (specific references)
  3. The Megacept - the over arching conceptual theme.
As life has gone on, year following year, decade following decade, ear hair following knee pain, I have lost whatever command I may have had for the crucfac and specref. But the megacept is still key.

Whether the topic is Bank Bailouts or Tiger Woods being named athlete of the year, I can always come up with an appropriate, if unfounded, megacept.

These I will undertake to share with you. No thanks necessary.

Peace!
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2 comments:

  1. ajdurbanoMay 14, 2014 at 9:41 PM

    It was a some guy @ Princeton, the way I heard it (@ Columbia sometime between 1965 and '69), and the way he phrased it was, "sometimes you just gotta psych out the megacepts." I always it took to mean that it was a process where you gathered up all the little details that made no sense all by themselves and realized (TADA!!) they were really, despite all appearances, part of the same godawful thing. Thoughts?

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  2. AnonymousDecember 18, 2018 at 4:31 AM

    Hey! I know it's been a long time since that post and maybe nobody's looking any more, but....
    I remember that quote well. I puzzled over it a little too. In fact I remember exactly when and where it was stated: Newsweek Magazine, early 1966. Yes, it was an article about this Princeton guy. He was explaining how he did so well despite not studying for that many hours -- "I psych out the megacepts" -- and I figured it meant the same as what you figured. So, I guess I have to say, good job! :-)

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