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It's a good comparison, but the use of the words "amateur" and "professional" to contrast the negative and positive points is unfortunate. Amateur is historical
by kstenerud 7y ago
It's a good comparison, but the use of the words "amateur" and "professional" to contrast the negative and positive points is unfortunate. Amateur is historically a positive word, describing people who pursue a particular field that is not their primary source of income (for the love of the field itself, thus the word "amateur"). For example, Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton were amateurs.
- mongol 7y agoWhat was their primary income?
- kstenerud 7y agoFrancis Bacon was a statesman, and Isaac Newton was a mathematician by profession.
- mongol 7y agoIs it fair to say that Newton was a professional mathematician and an amateur physicist?
- kstenerud 7y agoAmateur physicist, astronomer, author, and theologian.
- ChainOfFools 7y agoand alchemist, which commanded the majority of his curiosity and written output.
- kstenerud 7y ago... at a time when alchemy (chymistry) and science were not yet fully distinct. Also, only a tenth of his written works deal with alchemy.
- arethuza 7y agoAlso Master of the Mint and undercover crime fighter
- pyrale 7y agoNot really. Academy back then was not really that diversified, and it was rare for people in the academy not to get involved in multiple philosophies. Newton would better be qualifies as a professional academic with interests in natural philosophy and mathematics.
- pyrale 7y agoNewton was a paid scholar, so he was as much as possible what we would call a professionas scientist now. Francis Bacon was a heir. He did many things that could be considered full-time activities related to his social status, but they were not directly tied to his money.
- Jenz 7y agoIf the difference between amateurs and professionals was whether they were paid or not; the article’s statements would be wholly nonsensical
- cannonedhamster 7y agoWhat's to say the article wasn't nonsensical? It's generally a listicle of platitudes that doesn't really go deep into anything. You could summarize most of it in one sentence. Professionals look at long term consequences and constantly challenge their own biases by accepting outside commentary and criticism. That sentence encompasses most of the article. I generally expect higher quality from FS, the article on second level thinking it links to is a better example of their usual content.
- pyrale 7y agoThe question this message answers to was about their primary income. You are free to make your own opinion based on the facts I bring.