6 ms·
> "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result" This is a nitpick, but it's often completely reasonable to expect a dif
by sublinear 3y ago
> "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result"
This is a nitpick, but it's often completely reasonable to expect a different result by doing the same thing. Nothing against what you wrote, I just hate this saying so much. It's usually wrong to assume things are context-free. Most of life is defined by routine. Erosion carved out the surface of the earth, breathing and eating keeps you alive, etc.
At some point the definition of "same" comes under scrutiny and you will find that it's impossible to truly do the exact same thing more than once, and yet even if it was possible you might still get a different result because other things you had no control over changed. Entropy makes it all just so.
- midoridensha 3y agoWell, I think the saying kinda implies that the conditions are the same. Obviously, common sense dictates that doing the same thing when conditions are radically different can yield different results. (For instance, taking a deep breath is usually good for you. But doing so underwater is obviously not.) Of course, this then leads to an argument over how the conditions differ in the example where the saying is used, like with MS here.
- benterix 3y agoWell, practically speaking the conditions are never the same in the course of action. If you are trying to break something, for example, at first you don't succeed but in the end, after repeating the same action again and again, you finally do.