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And we all need to learn radio because its 1897 and radio is the future, or its 1940 and electronics are the future or whatever. You don't need to know how a c

And we all need to learn radio because its 1897 and radio is the future, or its 1940 and electronics are the future or whatever. You don't need to know how a combustion engine or an electric motor work in order to operate a chainsaw, the tree falls down either way. We have a society, an economy, and a civilization, other people do some of the work, and you do some. We don't need to, and can not know how it all works. Pay someone to do the stuff you don't know. That's how we got to the moon. Why does everyone keep saying we all have to learn how to code and think like computers? We all have to live in human bodies, and I would wager the vast, vast majority of HN knows a lot more about their computer than their anatomy. No one goes around saying we all need to learn internal medicine and human anatomy, because the future is living in a human body.

userbinator 10y ago
If you don't know how anything works, all you can do is follow, and cannot separate misinformation from truth. It's funny you mention engines because it's widely known that auto mechanics will take advantage of the general public's ignorance of how their cars work in order to profit. The same goes for several other industries. Sometimes the corporations actively try to prevent their consumers from knowing too much. Maybe you're fine with that. Others aren't. Computers have permeated almost every aspect of our lives. It makes great sense and empowerment to actually know how they work. As the saying goes, "knowledge is power".
- dozzie 10y ago
  > As the saying goes, "knowledge is power". As the paraphrase from a TV series goes, "power is power". Knowledge is only a leverage. You can't do sh&t about modern cars' overcomplicated design, at best you can complain and grumble.
  - ebcode 10y ago
    On the contrary, if you know that modern cars are overly-complicated, you can choose to not buy one, and instead buy something more like a 1984 volkswagen bug.
    - dozzie 10y ago
      OK, and how long would that work for you? Not to mention that you suddenly limit your options, sometimes to the point of them disappearing completely. As a singular consumer you don't have that much power over manufacturers, even if you know the product inside out.
- PostOnce 10y ago
  Yeah, the mechanic profits off of me not knowing my engine, and I profit off of him not knowing his computer, and in the end we all get along. The pharma co is taking advantage of me because I don't know enough chemistry to mix that stuff up at home? Their profits are through the roof! At some point you have to concede that one man with one life can't know everything, and focus on learning what you care about. You can be a jack of all trades and master of none, in other words.
  - thinline 10y ago
    Maybe you didn't read the whole article to get Stephen's point that the Wolfram Language allows you to experiment with a very, very wide variety of subjects without requiring deep expertise (but of course allowing for that as well). So your point is quite valid, one person can't hope to know everything. This is why it's great to find a tool that allows you to dive deeper into the things you do care about.

userbinator 10y ago

If you don't know how anything works, all you can do is follow, and cannot separate misinformation from truth. It's funny you mention engines because it's widely known that auto mechanics will take advantage of the general public's ignorance of how their cars work in order to profit. The same goes for several other industries. Sometimes the corporations actively try to prevent their consumers from knowing too much. Maybe you're fine with that. Others aren't. Computers have permeated almost every aspect of our lives. It makes great sense and empowerment to actually know how they work. As the saying goes, "knowledge is power".

dozzie 10y ago
> As the saying goes, "knowledge is power". As the paraphrase from a TV series goes, "power is power". Knowledge is only a leverage. You can't do sh&t about modern cars' overcomplicated design, at best you can complain and grumble.
- ebcode 10y ago
  On the contrary, if you know that modern cars are overly-complicated, you can choose to not buy one, and instead buy something more like a 1984 volkswagen bug.
  - dozzie 10y ago
    OK, and how long would that work for you? Not to mention that you suddenly limit your options, sometimes to the point of them disappearing completely. As a singular consumer you don't have that much power over manufacturers, even if you know the product inside out.
PostOnce 10y ago
Yeah, the mechanic profits off of me not knowing my engine, and I profit off of him not knowing his computer, and in the end we all get along. The pharma co is taking advantage of me because I don't know enough chemistry to mix that stuff up at home? Their profits are through the roof! At some point you have to concede that one man with one life can't know everything, and focus on learning what you care about. You can be a jack of all trades and master of none, in other words.
- thinline 10y ago
  Maybe you didn't read the whole article to get Stephen's point that the Wolfram Language allows you to experiment with a very, very wide variety of subjects without requiring deep expertise (but of course allowing for that as well). So your point is quite valid, one person can't hope to know everything. This is why it's great to find a tool that allows you to dive deeper into the things you do care about.