3 ms·
> If I'm good at university-level mathematics but terrible at woodworking, am I smarter than someone who is good at woodworking but has a hard time wrapping the
by qup 4y ago
> If I'm good at university-level mathematics but terrible at woodworking, am I smarter than someone who is good at woodworking but has a hard time wrapping their head around group theory
We don't have enough information to say. But what's almost certainly true is that one of you is smarter than the other.
I think a useful analogy is smart = compute, wisdom/knowledge=data.
Your example is not great because "woodworking" is primarily a knowledge game. Nothing is complex to the point you can't understand it.
University-level mathematics is less obvious--there's certainly a knowledge aspect--but I would stay largely a compute game.
Almost all people can become top-tier at knowledge games, not nearly as many at compute games.
- WarOnPrivacy 4y ago> Your example is not great because "woodworking" is primarily a knowledge game. I think his example is very good if he requires much more effort to understand straightforward woodworking concepts. It might not be that he can't be an average woodworker but that it takes him 5x more effort - and after just 3x more effort he's kind of done.
- qup 4y agoSure, if that were true. But it's not. Anyone who can understand college algebra can understand woodworking concepts, because woodworking concepts have virtually no cognitive complexity. Source: I learned college algebra, and I have my woodshop 20 yards from me.
- nerdponx 4y agoA better example would be my ability in strategy games such as checkers, chess, bridge, et alia. I'm generally worse at such games than most of my friends, none of whom have any special training or aptitude for strategy games.