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The problem is that people ground their egos in their arguments/findings/research etc. If you can resist the prideful urge to do so, your work, and life in gene
by kizer 8y ago
The problem is that people ground their egos in their arguments/findings/research etc. If you can resist the prideful urge to do so, your work, and life in general, become much more enjoyable experiences - in my opinion.
- kizer 8y agoAnd I’m speaking only from my own personal experience, of course ;).
- alexpetralia 8y agoA genuine problem is that intellectual hubris is often rewarded. There are many "experts" in their field for a reason - not necessarily because they always know so much - but because we have a human bias to defer to authority figures. This bias is not going away. If you want to be able to market yourself and access opportunities that other people can't, you often have to project confidence - even overconfidence - in your beliefs. Non-experts can't tell, but they can certainly identify a lack of confidence. People have a bias for simple, clear prognostications, even if they are wrong. This is an unfortunate reality, but it is a reality. Otherwise, we wouldn't see so many charlatans passing off as experts. But we do. I think it's useful then to be able to project confidence and even overconfidence in your beliefs. But at the core, you must remain intellectually humble if you want to learn. You can't block out knew ideas because of your ego. I've summarized this philosophy elsewhere as: look high-status, but be low-status.
- kizer 8y agoThank you, that is interesting. Similar to my current "strategy" as well. I guess we all enjoy authority, and are wise enough to let others enjoy it too... as long as everyone has their specialty.
- jordanchan 8y agoThis is especially applicable to the scientific cadre; sometimes leads me to think that some scientists are just as close-minded as the religionists of yore. The same applies to "believing in science". If I have to believe in it, it is no longer science. Conversely, by its very nature, the scientific approach must be open to invalidating its own self. I often wonder if the Jewish tradition of casually and constantly debating all manner of things is a good antidote to getting rigidly attached to one's own viewpoint. But on the flipside, nonstop argumentations are a nuisance too.
- kizer 8y agoI agree whole-heartedly that the strange “worship” of science that is sometimes promoted is a contradiction of the spirit of the scientific method.