Overview
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Three reasons readers don't know something: It's unimportant (random facts), they're obtuse, or they're inexperienced. Writing for smart people about important things means writing primarily for the young.
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The continuum of surprise: Essays range from transforming entire worldviews (like The Selfish Gene) to merely articulating what readers already sensed. Impact equals change in thinking multiplied by topic importance.
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The writer's tradeoff: It's difficult to have big new ideas about important topics, so writers typically choose between changing thinking significantly on moderate topics or slightly on crucial ones. Younger audiences shift this tradeoff favorably.
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Following curiosity over optimization: Graham realizes he writes for himself first—following curiosity and trying to surprise himself rather than targeting specific audiences, though understanding the field prompts reflection on what important things people learn late.
Takeaways
Paul Graham wrote this essay exploring the "gravitational field" essayists work within. His key insight is that writing for smart people about important topics automatically means writing for the young, where there's more room to change thinking.
The impact of an essay is how much it changes readers' thinking multiplied by the importance of the topic.