What was Shakespeare thinking (and why does it matter)? The ways that old, even ancient, methods of learning can produce original results. From the article:

You take it for granted that Olympic athletes and professional musicians must practice relentlessly to perfect their craft. Why should you expect the craft of thought to require anything less disciplined? Fierce attention to clear and precise writing is the essential tool for you to foster independent judgment. That is rhetoric…. [T]he best way for you to prepare for the unforeseen future is to learn how to think intensively and imaginatively…. To cultivate such curiosity, you should think of yourself as apprenticing to the craft of thought.