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The problem I have with this is that there clearly are fields of interest, knowledge that are harder than others. Both to understand and to explain to laymen.
by JoachimS 8y ago
The problem I have with this is that there clearly are fields of interest, knowledge that are harder than others. Both to understand and to explain to laymen.
Gell-Mann of course had a fundamental understandingf of modern physics including many counterintuitive effects. A journalist would not have that knownledge, and given the task to (in fairly short time) write an article for an audience that in general neither has that fundamental understanding. So, of course the journalist will make mistakes, misunderstand aspects of the field when writing an article. Physics is hard.
But, politics, road safety, sports are interests that one quite probably can claim are less hard to grasp. And areas a newspaper journalist quite probably also have more knowledge about. So, the amount of errors and mistakes when writing an article abpit something in these fields should be fewer. And Gell-Mann would probably be able to spot them.
- gowld 8y agoThis may be falling victim to another form of flawed thinking: that long-time passing familiarity with an issue is useful expertise. We know how to drive our cars on the roads, but that doesn't mean know how our cars and roads and city-wide traffic management works
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- mywittyname 8y agoI think anyone whose explained something technical to a layman has appreciates this. Often times, I will give a technically incorrect explanation of something because it delivers the point while avoiding as much complexity as possible. Recently I was explaining the Year 2038 problem to someone and said it was an issue with 32-bit computers because that side-stepped several related topics that are less relevant to the audience. I'd have gotten a hundred down votes if I explained the issue that way here. But the person I was talking to was satisfied with a shallow explanation and at least understood the problem at a high level.
- JackFr 8y ago>there clearly are fields of interest, knowledge that are harder than others. Both to understand and to explain to laymen. See Richard Feynman, "Hell, if I could explain it to the average person, it wouldn't have been worth the Nobel prize."
- marcosdumay 8y ago> But, politics, road safety, sports are interests that one quite probably can claim are less hard to grasp. I don't like to, but I have to add a bit "citation needed" at this point.