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Sometimes I wonder if our preoccupation with information consumption is a catalyst for our inability to have epiphanic thought. We’d probably have more Einstei

Sometimes I wonder if our preoccupation with information consumption is a catalyst for our inability to have epiphanic thought. We’d probably have more Einstein-like breakthroughs in science if we weren’t constantly reading to find the answer and instead let our minds connect into the collective consciousness that already knows all.

theshrike79 4y ago
We stand on the shoulders of giants. ...but the giants are getting bigger for every generation and it takes longer and longer to climb to the shoulders. Some people make it, some quit half way and some don't even try when they see the monumental effort needed. It takes huge effort and tons of time just to stay current on world events, never mind popular culture and hobbies and other interests. Combine that with 8-10 hours of work every day (including commutes) + family time + sleep and there really isn't time for epiphanic thought. A bit over a hundred years ago we had people like Sabine Baring-Gould[0], who wrote over a hundred books and published over a thousand papers. He was born to a rich family, though, which did give him the time and resources. But at the time it was possible for him to learn much of the existing knowledge and expand it radically during his lifetime. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine_Baring-Gould https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine_Baring-Gould
pxue 4y ago
I actually think it's the opposite. We put TOO much emphasis on epiphanic breakthroughs and often incorrectly attribute major discoveries to seemingly moments of epiphany. Einstein's biggest discovery took him decades to formalize, and definitely was not a eureka moment.
- Khartoum 4y ago
  Perhaps Einstein had many small epiphantic thoughts along the way to his great breakthrough, that aren't of any real interest to the average person.
qlm 4y ago
"We owe the cultural achievements of humanity—which include philosophy—to deep, contemplative attention. Culture presumes an environment in which deep attention is possible. Increasingly, such immersive reflection is being displaced by an entirely different form of attention: hyperattention. A rash change of focus between different tasks, sources of information, and processes characterizes this scattered mode of awareness. Since it also has a low tolerance for boredom, it does not admit the profound idleness that benefits the creative process. ... "hyperactive intensification leads to an abrupt switch into hyperpassivity; now one obeys every impulse or stimulus without resistance. Instead of freedom, it produces new constraints. It is an illusion to believe that being more active means being freer. "Without the “excluding instincts” Nietzsche praises, action scatters into restless, hyperactive reaction and abreaction. In a pure state, activity only prolongs what is already available. In contrast, a real turn to the Other presupposes the negativity of an interruption. Only by the negative means of making-pause can the subject of action thoroughly measure the sphere of contingency (which is unavailable when one is simply active)." "The Burnout Society" - Byung-Chul Han
pca006132 4y ago
There is a famous chinese saying that "Learning without thinking is vain; thinking without learning is perilous". I guess the problem is getting the right balance. And to be honest, I am not sure whether we are reading to find the answer or just searching for stimulus now.

theshrike79 4y ago

We stand on the shoulders of giants. ...but the giants are getting bigger for every generation and it takes longer and longer to climb to the shoulders. Some people make it, some quit half way and some don't even try when they see the monumental effort needed. It takes huge effort and tons of time just to stay current on world events, never mind popular culture and hobbies and other interests. Combine that with 8-10 hours of work every day (including commutes) + family time + sleep and there really isn't time for epiphanic thought. A bit over a hundred years ago we had people like Sabine Baring-Gould[0], who wrote over a hundred books and published over a thousand papers. He was born to a rich family, though, which did give him the time and resources. But at the time it was possible for him to learn much of the existing knowledge and expand it radically during his lifetime. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine_Baring-Gould https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine_Baring-Gould

pxue 4y ago

I actually think it's the opposite. We put TOO much emphasis on epiphanic breakthroughs and often incorrectly attribute major discoveries to seemingly moments of epiphany. Einstein's biggest discovery took him decades to formalize, and definitely was not a eureka moment.

Khartoum 4y ago
Perhaps Einstein had many small epiphantic thoughts along the way to his great breakthrough, that aren't of any real interest to the average person.

qlm 4y ago

"We owe the cultural achievements of humanity—which include philosophy—to deep, contemplative attention. Culture presumes an environment in which deep attention is possible. Increasingly, such immersive reflection is being displaced by an entirely different form of attention: hyperattention. A rash change of focus between different tasks, sources of information, and processes characterizes this scattered mode of awareness. Since it also has a low tolerance for boredom, it does not admit the profound idleness that benefits the creative process. ... "hyperactive intensification leads to an abrupt switch into hyperpassivity; now one obeys every impulse or stimulus without resistance. Instead of freedom, it produces new constraints. It is an illusion to believe that being more active means being freer. "Without the “excluding instincts” Nietzsche praises, action scatters into restless, hyperactive reaction and abreaction. In a pure state, activity only prolongs what is already available. In contrast, a real turn to the Other presupposes the negativity of an interruption. Only by the negative means of making-pause can the subject of action thoroughly measure the sphere of contingency (which is unavailable when one is simply active)." "The Burnout Society" - Byung-Chul Han

pca006132 4y ago

There is a famous chinese saying that "Learning without thinking is vain; thinking without learning is perilous". I guess the problem is getting the right balance. And to be honest, I am not sure whether we are reading to find the answer or just searching for stimulus now.