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Having to form an opinion about every damn thing that matters is a) exhausting and b) hubris. It is not possible to be an expert on everything. The best perso

Having to form an opinion about every damn thing that matters is a) exhausting and b) hubris. It is not possible to be an expert on everything. The best personal outcome doesn't come from making your own assessment of everything from toothpaste to nuclear power. It's when you learn to recognise the difference between someone's reasoned expertise and, well, just about everyone else pushing their viewpoint. The top current tip for removing noise from signal certainly is, don't consume social media, as in the OP. In a similar vein, ignore parochial/domestic television broadcasting; obtain current events from international reporting sources, and informed opinion from long-form writers.

hammock 5y ago
>Having to form an opinion about every damn thing that matters is a) exhausting and b) hubris. It is not possible to be an expert on everything. That's a cynical take, and it illuminates the importance of good education, so that "hubris" as you put it is minimized and right judgment is maximized. Even more important when most children's education is more and more geared away from critical thinking, and instead towards the One True History.
- deleted 5y ago
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- GhettoComputers 5y ago
  Someone stated everyone in the US has an opinion. He wrote a book that sold well and was carrying copies to the US, the worker there took a look at his cargo and exclaimed "nobody will buy it". Do we really need opinions on everything?
  - hammock 5y ago
    Forming your own opinion and sharing it are two completely different things.
- throw0101a 5y ago
  > That's a cynical take, and it illuminates the importance of good education […] The left-hand side of the bell curve will be a challenge in that regard. (Average IQ is 100.) “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” — George Carlin
swayvil 5y ago
Consider the quality of ones understanding. To look at a thing, to think about what you see (or not). That's one way. To consume words, interpret them, to create a metaphorical story. That's another. That's a big difference. Fire vs fireflies. It isn't a matter of truthiness but of substance. The difference between menu and lunch. If the question is what to order, what course of action to take, maybe it doesn't matter so much. But for understanding it matters a whole bunch.

hammock 5y ago

>Having to form an opinion about every damn thing that matters is a) exhausting and b) hubris. It is not possible to be an expert on everything. That's a cynical take, and it illuminates the importance of good education, so that "hubris" as you put it is minimized and right judgment is maximized. Even more important when most children's education is more and more geared away from critical thinking, and instead towards the One True History.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
GhettoComputers 5y ago
Someone stated everyone in the US has an opinion. He wrote a book that sold well and was carrying copies to the US, the worker there took a look at his cargo and exclaimed "nobody will buy it". Do we really need opinions on everything?
- hammock 5y ago
  Forming your own opinion and sharing it are two completely different things.
throw0101a 5y ago
> That's a cynical take, and it illuminates the importance of good education […] The left-hand side of the bell curve will be a challenge in that regard. (Average IQ is 100.) “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” — George Carlin

swayvil 5y ago

Consider the quality of ones understanding. To look at a thing, to think about what you see (or not). That's one way. To consume words, interpret them, to create a metaphorical story. That's another. That's a big difference. Fire vs fireflies. It isn't a matter of truthiness but of substance. The difference between menu and lunch. If the question is what to order, what course of action to take, maybe it doesn't matter so much. But for understanding it matters a whole bunch.