You're essentially arguing for an ontological approach to learning and knowledge in general and in that I 100% agree with you. It would make most people much mo

You're essentially arguing for an ontological approach to learning and knowledge in general and in that I 100% agree with you. It would make most people much more efficient (and feel safer intellectually) in this ever more complex world. However insofar as there's a limit to every principle, I would caution against a too-generic approach 100% of the time: it's often after a second step in which you learn, often by heart (think hobby, think things you love), a bunch of very detailed information about a topic, that you truly feel confident about your knowledge. And this is what we generally define as expertise (albeit 2nd degree until you make things, apply this knowledge). In most cases, it comes with time and exposure (experience, repetition) but is much accelerated by a conscious will to learn (and good methods). In short, a high-level ontological approach combined with a sizeable degree of freedom to explore this or that topic in ample detail (quite lacking in studies where you have to rush everything).