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I guess I'll have to disagree. In my book, proposing a solution to X implies being an expert on X.

by dvt 7y ago

tchaffee 7y ago
Why gatekeep on who can brainstorm about solutions? If a non-expert stumbles on a great solution, you would throw it out? I don't like ANY of the author's solutions. The article still got me thinking about negative externalities in a new way.
- dvt 7y ago
  Let me put it this way: I can't take someone "solving" the Tragedy of the Commons without mentioning Nash equilibria, Pareto efficiency, or Ostrom's empirical studies seriously any more than I can take someone "solving" the Riemann hypothesis without mentioning prime numbers seriously.
  - coldtea 7y ago
    So, if someone does formulate a working solution in a novel way, but they doesn't mention Nash equilibria, Pareto efficiency, or Ostrom's empirical studies (either because they're not a necessary part of a solution, or because they've came at it on their own, without having prior knowledge of these, and thus formulated was was needed of them on their own terms), you'd don't want to hear about it, because dogma.
  - tchaffee 7y ago
    Does it surprise you that a place named "Hacker News" is usually welcoming to non-experts who try to find ways to hack all variety of "systems" that experts claimed wasn't possible?
coldtea 7y ago
In my book, outside of hard sciences and engineering, "being an expert on X" is just a BS title, almost unrelated with competency, actual experience, and a history of good outcomes working on X, and worst of all without skin in the game. The biggest blunders and worst outcomes, have historically come from "expert solutions"... https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-experts-are-almost-always-wrong-9997024/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-experts-are-al... On the other hand, tons of creative solutions and amazing inventions came from non-experts -- people like Mendel, for example (and in fact any new domain must by necessity be founded by a non-expert, since there's no domain to be an expert of beforehand).

I guess I'll have to disagree. In my book, proposing a solution to X implies being an expert on X.

by dvt 7y ago

I guess I'll have to disagree. In my book, proposing a solution to X implies being an expert on X.

Why gatekeep on who can brainstorm about solutions? If a non-expert stumbles on a great solution, you would throw it out? I don't like ANY of the author's solutions. The article still got me thinking about negative externalities in a new way.

dvt 7y ago
Let me put it this way: I can't take someone "solving" the Tragedy of the Commons without mentioning Nash equilibria, Pareto efficiency, or Ostrom's empirical studies seriously any more than I can take someone "solving" the Riemann hypothesis without mentioning prime numbers seriously.
- coldtea 7y ago
  So, if someone does formulate a working solution in a novel way, but they doesn't mention Nash equilibria, Pareto efficiency, or Ostrom's empirical studies (either because they're not a necessary part of a solution, or because they've came at it on their own, without having prior knowledge of these, and thus formulated was was needed of them on their own terms), you'd don't want to hear about it, because dogma.
- tchaffee 7y ago
  Does it surprise you that a place named "Hacker News" is usually welcoming to non-experts who try to find ways to hack all variety of "systems" that experts claimed wasn't possible?

coldtea 7y ago

In my book, outside of hard sciences and engineering, "being an expert on X" is just a BS title, almost unrelated with competency, actual experience, and a history of good outcomes working on X, and worst of all without skin in the game. The biggest blunders and worst outcomes, have historically come from "expert solutions"... https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-experts-are-almost-always-wrong-9997024/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-experts-are-al... On the other hand, tons of creative solutions and amazing inventions came from non-experts -- people like Mendel, for example (and in fact any new domain must by necessity be founded by a non-expert, since there's no domain to be an expert of beforehand).