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> Some times I feel even seriously guilty wasting so much energy thinking/reading about it. It's your energy, so if you find it worthwhile then that's all that

> Some times I feel even seriously guilty wasting so much energy thinking/reading about it. It's your energy, so if you find it worthwhile then that's all that matters. I sometimes feel the same way regarding my passion for computer science, when there are so many immediate problems in the world (energy production, food/wealth/opportunity distribution, war, etc.). The good news is that you're having such guilty thoughts at all; that makes you more conscientious than if you didn't! You're also devoting that energy to a meaningful topic, compared to cultural norms like sports, celebrities, fashion, etc. If you feel like there's nothing to show for your efforts, maybe you could try writing down some of your thoughts. They wouldn't have to be "correct", as long as they're intellectually honest; that would provide a progression of ideas, offer insight into the learning process, etc. and maybe you can look back over them to either find inspiration in ideas you'd forgotten, or be able to look at your old questions and know that you've found answers to some of them.

mindcrime 10y ago
I sometimes feel the same way regarding my passion for computer science, when there are so many immediate problems in the world (energy production, food/wealth/opportunity distribution, war, etc.). Likewise. I sometimes feel bad that what I do doesn't have a more immediate impact on people's lives somehow, in terms of things like poverty, health-care, clean water/food, etc. OTOH, the skills I have can be put to use in those areas, but the only outlet I really have to do that is to volunteer with non-profits of some sort, which is something I do a bit of (but probably not enough).
pc86 10y ago
How is someone thinking about the universe for half an hour before bed any more meaningful than someone thinking about the Denver Broncos?
- CoryG89 10y ago
  Eh.. meaningful depends on the observer, but I doubt Einstein would have come up with relativity if he thought about the Denver Broncos instead of the universe.
  - thr0waway1239 10y ago
    It is interesting that you make this statement, because I have sometimes heard that Einstein was able to make so many profound contributions because he had a multitude of interests which was generally above average with respect to his peers. Unfortunately, I don't have a reference, but I think it was mentioned in his biography by Walter Isaacson. And not just that, reading that book will give you the general sense of a man who was quite the eclectic, intentionally creating masterminds with people from a broad swath of occupations.
- kirykl 10y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence They're both subjects of thought therefore they are both equally meaningful to think about. false
  - pc86 10y ago
    I was asking why one is more meaningful than the other. Your response is basically "it's possible that one of them is more meaningful than the other" which doesn't help much.
- chriswarbo 10y ago
  It depends what you do with it, which is why I suggested turning it into something concrete like writing. If thinking about something makes it 'click', that's useful to make a note of, as it may help someone else come to understand it. If something is still unfathomable after lots of thought, that's useful to make a note of, as someone else may be able to help, it may uncover a misunderstanding, or it might give someone else comfort to know they're not alone in their struggle. Less trivially (and less likely, but worth pursuing) it may lead to original thoughts, new perspectives or analogies, inspiring others, revealing previously ignored aspects of the world, etc. I don't know if amateur reflection on sports would actually have any impact, and even if it did (e.g. calling the Denver Broncos to tell them about some new strategy/etc. you've come up with), it wouldn't have much impact on the world. The names in Marty McFly's sports almanac might change, but even after just 1000 years those ripples would probably have faded to nothing.
- TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
  One is about the ultimate potential of humans as a species. The other sportses. IMO, no comparison.
  - pc86 10y ago
    My point was that a programmer thinking about the Universe every night is no different that someone watching football every night. Neither will have any meaningful impact on the species. If his job was related to the Universe or physics or math or something, sure. But he writes CRUD apps for SV startups or maintains COBOL for a bank. 500 years from now we will be no better nor worse as a species for the hours he spent thinking about quasars.

mindcrime 10y ago

I sometimes feel the same way regarding my passion for computer science, when there are so many immediate problems in the world (energy production, food/wealth/opportunity distribution, war, etc.). Likewise. I sometimes feel bad that what I do doesn't have a more immediate impact on people's lives somehow, in terms of things like poverty, health-care, clean water/food, etc. OTOH, the skills I have can be put to use in those areas, but the only outlet I really have to do that is to volunteer with non-profits of some sort, which is something I do a bit of (but probably not enough).

pc86 10y ago

How is someone thinking about the universe for half an hour before bed any more meaningful than someone thinking about the Denver Broncos?

CoryG89 10y ago
Eh.. meaningful depends on the observer, but I doubt Einstein would have come up with relativity if he thought about the Denver Broncos instead of the universe.
- thr0waway1239 10y ago
  It is interesting that you make this statement, because I have sometimes heard that Einstein was able to make so many profound contributions because he had a multitude of interests which was generally above average with respect to his peers. Unfortunately, I don't have a reference, but I think it was mentioned in his biography by Walter Isaacson. And not just that, reading that book will give you the general sense of a man who was quite the eclectic, intentionally creating masterminds with people from a broad swath of occupations.
kirykl 10y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_equivalence They're both subjects of thought therefore they are both equally meaningful to think about. false
- pc86 10y ago
  I was asking why one is more meaningful than the other. Your response is basically "it's possible that one of them is more meaningful than the other" which doesn't help much.
chriswarbo 10y ago
It depends what you do with it, which is why I suggested turning it into something concrete like writing. If thinking about something makes it 'click', that's useful to make a note of, as it may help someone else come to understand it. If something is still unfathomable after lots of thought, that's useful to make a note of, as someone else may be able to help, it may uncover a misunderstanding, or it might give someone else comfort to know they're not alone in their struggle. Less trivially (and less likely, but worth pursuing) it may lead to original thoughts, new perspectives or analogies, inspiring others, revealing previously ignored aspects of the world, etc. I don't know if amateur reflection on sports would actually have any impact, and even if it did (e.g. calling the Denver Broncos to tell them about some new strategy/etc. you've come up with), it wouldn't have much impact on the world. The names in Marty McFly's sports almanac might change, but even after just 1000 years those ripples would probably have faded to nothing.
TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
One is about the ultimate potential of humans as a species. The other sportses. IMO, no comparison.
- pc86 10y ago
  My point was that a programmer thinking about the Universe every night is no different that someone watching football every night. Neither will have any meaningful impact on the species. If his job was related to the Universe or physics or math or something, sure. But he writes CRUD apps for SV startups or maintains COBOL for a bank. 500 years from now we will be no better nor worse as a species for the hours he spent thinking about quasars.