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It's really hard for me to take this author seriously after his "Willingness to look stupid" post that went viral here about a month ago. The entire post was ri
by babelfish 5y ago
It's really hard for me to take this author seriously after his "Willingness to look stupid" post that went viral here about a month ago. The entire post was ridden with a superiority complex about how he's willing to look stupid, but never willing to explain his actions that make him look stupid. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28946490 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28946490
- csee 5y agoMerely publishing public essays is an example of being willing to look stupid.
- eyelidlessness 5y agoLacking emotional intelligence to explain my motivations is something I’ve struggled and worked to improve my whole life. But it doesn’t make my motivations invalid. Just harder for you to understand.
- civilized 5y agoMaybe his reason for wanting a small box computer was idiosyncratic and weird and he preferred not to discuss it. Maybe it was part of a bizarre prank or a secret project. The dictum "think horses not zebras" has its value - ordinary possibilities are more likely - but it doesn't say that zebras don't exist. To be honest, this comment is a perfect illustration of why Dan had to write that essay. Some people can't see beyond the obvious, and if the obvious is "this guy is stupid", well, you better not be afraid to look stupid.
- babelfish 5y agoIt is far more important to be able to explain your line of reasoning to those around you, especially professionally (much of the essay was about school/work), than it is to hope your coworkers are able to "see beyond the obvious".
- civilized 5y agoOr maybe it's far more important to be okay with looking stupid than to assume that lack of understanding from others always means something negative about your communication abilities or choices. If someone can't imagine any other reason someone would look stupid in the eyes of others than because they explained something poorly, I wonder how much experience of life have they had?
- babelfish 5y ago> If someone can't imagine any other reason someone would look stupid in the eyes of others than because they explained something poorly, I wonder how much experience of life have they had? This is not what I'm saying - of course I can personally relate to the experience of looking stupid due to a poor explanation, and I'd imagine most people here have too. My issue with the article is that the author doubled down that looking stupid was correct. When I feel like I look stupid because I can't explain my line of reasoning, or because I didn't have enough prerequisite knowledge for the conversation, I will typically apologize and immediately start explaining my line of thought and asking questions around the unknowns. However, the author's attitude is that when they look stupid it must be an issue with the other party, and they have zero obligation to try and make themself look better. This is a MASSIVE red flag (especially in terms of hiring)! If the author doesn't have the empathy or emotional intellect to understand why being able to explain what you're trying to communicate is a /good thing/, it's difficult for me to take them seriously.
- civilized 5y agoI think you misread my post. There are other reasons people can look stupid than they did something wrong. It is neither accurate nor virtuous to blame yourself for every negative outcome.
- robocat 5y agoIf you have decided you will not learn from imperfect people, then you will never learn at all.
- jart 5y agoYes but being wrong doesn't make you imperfect. New knowledge is rare so it's not possible to discover without being wrong much of the time.