2 ms·
The article presents the reason for the different adoption rates of anaesthesia and sterlization as visible versus invisible nature of problems. It seems to me
by sriku 11y ago
The article presents the reason for the different adoption rates of anaesthesia and sterlization as visible versus invisible nature of problems. It seems to me that a better characterization would've been "has a positive effect" versus "prevents a negative effect". For an analogy, if some engineer had suggested that cockpit doors be reinforced in pre 9/11 days, that voice would've drowned. If an engineer went ahead and implemented it anyway, that would've called for an enquiry into the additional cost, instead of rewarding the discovery and address of a vulnerability before its consequences hit people. Pilots who keep their cool in emergency situations can get into the news. What about those pilots who've flown again and again without errors? I think these are all related.
- chipsy 11y agoIt's the timing that's the important part. People learn really quickly not to push their hands against sharp or hot objects, because the pain feedback is instant and biologically determined. And they learn to like sweet and salty things for the same reason - their taste buds tell them to like it. But a much more challenging thing is to learn a concept like "several days after you get injured, an unclean wound will be infected". That knowledge involves visualizing into the far future, and applying knowledge that was told to you, not direct prior experiences.