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Agreed. My experience with experts--both being one in my domain and working with others in their domain--is that if they can't explain how it works to a layman,
by Espressosaurus 2y ago
Agreed. My experience with experts--both being one in my domain and working with others in their domain--is that if they can't explain how it works to a layman, chances are they don't know how it works.
True experts can understand from the layman's perspective and tailor the response to that level of understanding.
- 77pt77 2y ago> True experts can understand from the layman's perspective and tailor the response to that level of understanding. The Feynman paradox: > if you can't explain it to a six-year-old you don't understand it yourself but also > If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize The former probably apocryphal.
- qrian 2y agoInterestingly I have recently watched a video of Feynmann essentially saying "I cannot explain it to you because you don't have relevant background knowledge" to a question of "What makes magnets repel or pull each other?". Which agrees with the latter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0r930Sn_8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0r930Sn_8
- 77pt77 2y agoOf both quotes the latter is definitely closer to the truth.
- jltsiren 2y agoThen there is the corollary: a topic is shallow, if an expert can explain it to a layman before the layman loses interest. I've been working with experts on highly technical topics most of my career. They can explain the big picture to a layman just fine, but if the layman asks something within the actual scope of their expertise, it takes a long time to get there.