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Absolutely fascinating to realize that when Richard Feynman talks about how the name of the thing doesn't tell you anything about the thing[1][2], he may be ran

Absolutely fascinating to realize that when Richard Feynman talks about how the name of the thing doesn't tell you anything about the thing[1][2], he may be ranting about Murray Gell-Mann. [1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p018dvyg https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p018dvyg [2] I quoted the key sentence at the top of http://akkartik.name/post/teaching-taste http://akkartik.name/post/teaching-taste

eesmith 7y ago
It reminds me of the scene in "Return of the King" where Gandalf and Aragorn are looking for athelas: > And he will tell you that he did not know that the herb you desire had any virtues, but that it is called _westmansweed_ by the vulgar, and _galenas_ by the noble, and other names in other tongues more learned, and after adding a few half-forgotten rhymes that he does not understand, he will regretfully inform you that there is none in the House, and he will leave you to reflect on the history of tongues. or, as Gandalf cried: > 'Then in the name of the king, go and find some old man of less lore and more wisdom who keeps some in his house!'
- watersb 7y ago
  Holy cow, I was just describing this passage to my wife yesterday; Tolkien the philologist, writing something of himself into the story. A scholar and apparently a very careful, deliberate thinker, Tolkien was no ass. But wow I bet he was locked in a room full of them from time to time.
argd678 7y ago
I think it was also in general, he didn’t like how people used big words to fake knowledge, and use them as a replacement for knowledge. > Or his questioning of space shuttle engineers: ''They kept referring to the problem by some complicated name - a 'pressure-induced vorticity oscillatory wa-wa,' or something. I said, 'Oh, you mean a whistle!' 'Yes,' they said; 'it exhibits the characteristics of a whistle.' '' http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/feynman-doyoucare.html http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/feynman-do...

eesmith 7y ago

It reminds me of the scene in "Return of the King" where Gandalf and Aragorn are looking for athelas: > And he will tell you that he did not know that the herb you desire had any virtues, but that it is called _westmansweed_ by the vulgar, and _galenas_ by the noble, and other names in other tongues more learned, and after adding a few half-forgotten rhymes that he does not understand, he will regretfully inform you that there is none in the House, and he will leave you to reflect on the history of tongues. or, as Gandalf cried: > 'Then in the name of the king, go and find some old man of less lore and more wisdom who keeps some in his house!'

watersb 7y ago
Holy cow, I was just describing this passage to my wife yesterday; Tolkien the philologist, writing something of himself into the story. A scholar and apparently a very careful, deliberate thinker, Tolkien was no ass. But wow I bet he was locked in a room full of them from time to time.

argd678 7y ago

I think it was also in general, he didn’t like how people used big words to fake knowledge, and use them as a replacement for knowledge. > Or his questioning of space shuttle engineers: ''They kept referring to the problem by some complicated name - a 'pressure-induced vorticity oscillatory wa-wa,' or something. I said, 'Oh, you mean a whistle!' 'Yes,' they said; 'it exhibits the characteristics of a whistle.' '' http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/feynman-doyoucare.html http://movies2.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/feynman-do...