“The point is that there are challenges within techniques. When you differentiate in technique, you challenge yourself; you ask yourself the same question in a new way.”— William Hurt
ENIGMATOLOGY
Enigmatology is the study and science of puzzles. It spans various genres: math, situational, word, mechanical, spot-the-difference, and more. Even though humans have been solving puzzles for at least as long as recorded history, the only person with a degree in enigmatology is Will Shortz. Shortz put his degree to good use. Shortz published over one hundred puzzle books and has been the puzzle editor at the New York Times since 1993. By April 2021, Shortz had edited over 10,000 crossword puzzles.
What fascinates me about enigmatology is the way each puzzle tests our creativity in unique ways. It amuses me that life feels like a massive enigmatology puzzle, where Shortz has crafted a series of highly personalized, immersive challenges for each of us to solve. There are real-world puzzles we fac…