My life has been devoted to learning (for its own sake) and yet as I age I find that I learn more from interactions with my clients than I do from books. Having been raised by traditionalists in an altered higher educational system I learned that books were secondary sources of knowledge and the authors were primary sources. This is no longer true for a variety of reasons.

Most higher education today seems to be oriented towards training complex skills as a primary goal and discourse via rigorous modes of thinking as a secondary goal.

I feel mixed about the “5-Hour Rule” on a few points:

1. Knowledge written about in your article, Michael Simmons, seems slanted towards skill-applications and business which seems limiting to me. The whole of higher education seems to have drifted away from pure intellectual pursuit and /or inquiry to train students for complex skill professions.
2. Even knowledge from traditionalists — emphasizing “a well-rounded education in science, math, foreign languages, writing and literature” is intellectually based knowledge.
3. Knowledge or “knowing” penetrates other realms wider and deeper than an intellectual drive of organizing and synthesizing information in systems that are often reductionistic in their scope. “Knowing” comes from what intellectuals / philosophers might name as old fashioned where knowing undertakes intellectual, emotional intelligence as well as somatic knowing in search of truths both personal and universal. Thus we have a rare “Person of Knowing”.
4. I’ve grown weary of all professional growth based on the touchstone of money. Perhaps with the advent of AI money will become a thing of the past maybe in 100 years or so, although that may be too soon the climate crisis not withstanding. So, when I read that knowledge is now a commodity I roll my eyes. But what you are writing about — learning and skill-based knowledge has always been true. But REALLY — does it have to be monetizing knowledge and skills. Next thing you know we’ll be trying to monetize spirituality. More eye-rolling.
5. I hate rules — but what a great inflammatory title to pull in readers, right? If we expanding conscious learning beyond merely books to 20 hours… well then.