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Quiz: what is the opposite of patronising? Because that's what you're being. Not talking down to people but assuming more than is typical. You're clearly highl

Quiz: what is the opposite of patronising? Because that's what you're being. Not talking down to people but assuming more than is typical. You're clearly highly intelligent, evidently more so than I am. Additionally my mind doesn't work like yours, I'm not an abstract thinker. Plonk stuff like this in front of me and I can decipher it eventually, if I can get some clear statement of the notation and its semantics anyway, and there is stuff in there I'm not familiar with. Most people aren't abstract thinkers. They are motivated by practical concerns. I spent an enormous amount of time reading up on stuff like this and I really can't see the value to it to me as a programmer. It's deeply frustrating because I know it has value, but I just can't use it. It's interesting, I know it's useful, but I can't use it. Please allow that other people think differently and are motivated differently, and don't assume that what's easy for you is for them. I wish I had your cranium.

zozbot234 3y ago
> Most people aren't abstract thinkers. They are motivated by practical concerns. Abstract thinking is motivated by practical concerns, namely being able to think comfortably about larger problems without being limited by one's capability for complex reasoning. Most people don't do it because they aren't used to, or they have never been taught how.
the_af 3y ago
> Quiz: what is the opposite of patronising? Humble, respectful, modest? I respect that different people will find different things hard or easy, so that a generalization is never truly possible (except, uh, this sentence?). On the other hand, speaking with absolutely no generalizations whatsoever is simply not possible, because so many caveats and exceptions would make communication impossible. I do stand by my initial assertion that, in general, if you have a mind capable of learning a new programming language, you can learn lambda calculus, and it won't be particularly hard.

zozbot234 3y ago

> Most people aren't abstract thinkers. They are motivated by practical concerns. Abstract thinking is motivated by practical concerns, namely being able to think comfortably about larger problems without being limited by one's capability for complex reasoning. Most people don't do it because they aren't used to, or they have never been taught how.

the_af 3y ago

> Quiz: what is the opposite of patronising? Humble, respectful, modest? I respect that different people will find different things hard or easy, so that a generalization is never truly possible (except, uh, this sentence?). On the other hand, speaking with absolutely no generalizations whatsoever is simply not possible, because so many caveats and exceptions would make communication impossible. I do stand by my initial assertion that, in general, if you have a mind capable of learning a new programming language, you can learn lambda calculus, and it won't be particularly hard.