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> The fact that he is such a dick in public I wonder about this aspect of his personality. For instance, if I knew gravity = 9.8 m/s^2 and everyone around me

by MR4D 6y ago

> The fact that he is such a dick in public I wonder about this aspect of his personality. For instance, if I knew gravity = 9.8 m/s^2 and everyone around me still thought the earth was flat, would the daily interactions with people start to grate on me? Probably. Of course, if I really thought I knew, but was wrong, then I'd just be an idiot & a jerk. Seriously though, what if he's completely right about something that other people don't see? Then is he really being a dick, or is everyone else being one for calling him that and not seeing the same answers he sees? It's got to be hard to know something that nobody else does and still be patient with everyone while they question you incessantly. A good proxy for me is being a parent and trying to explain something for the umpteenth time to my kid - it get frustrating at times.

n4r9 6y ago
> if I knew gravity = 9.8 m/s^2 and everyone around me still thought the earth was flat, would the daily interactions with people start to grate on me? If you have a decent amount of humility and good will, I honestly think you'd settle into working on finding the best way to communicate your ideas without belittling people.
- MR4D 6y ago
  I agree, hence my comment about working with kids - at some point, explaining things gets exhausting. The great things about kids is that they grow, and you are explaining new things to them over the years, not the same thing for 20 years. EDIT - just to clarify my original comment, I was not excusing his behavior - only pondering the source of it.
  - n4r9 6y ago
    I think it's very different. When you're a parent explaining something to a kid, you are responsible for their life and actions. You can't just take a few hours/days out to formulate your response or decide this person isn't worth your time. Taleb can. Also, you are evidently more competent at dealing with life than they are, whereas it's unclear in cases I've looked at whether Taleb is more insightful or competent than people he's called an "imbecile". How is the layman supposed to measure whether he really know what he's talking about? His poor writing skills and attitude give off quite a strong impression that he's not secure in his knowledge.

by MR4D 6y ago

n4r9 6y ago

> if I knew gravity = 9.8 m/s^2 and everyone around me still thought the earth was flat, would the daily interactions with people start to grate on me? If you have a decent amount of humility and good will, I honestly think you'd settle into working on finding the best way to communicate your ideas without belittling people.

MR4D 6y ago
I agree, hence my comment about working with kids - at some point, explaining things gets exhausting. The great things about kids is that they grow, and you are explaining new things to them over the years, not the same thing for 20 years. EDIT - just to clarify my original comment, I was not excusing his behavior - only pondering the source of it.
- n4r9 6y ago
  I think it's very different. When you're a parent explaining something to a kid, you are responsible for their life and actions. You can't just take a few hours/days out to formulate your response or decide this person isn't worth your time. Taleb can. Also, you are evidently more competent at dealing with life than they are, whereas it's unclear in cases I've looked at whether Taleb is more insightful or competent than people he's called an "imbecile". How is the layman supposed to measure whether he really know what he's talking about? His poor writing skills and attitude give off quite a strong impression that he's not secure in his knowledge.