3 ms·

As an engineer, I'd rather be called stupid than stay silent

41 points by codeman001 2y ago

forinti 2y ago
"The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life". Plus, I like to tell my team: a stupid idea can be the seed of a good one.
svilen_dobrev 2y ago
stupid questions are the most important ones - they mean something very deep is missing / misty / doubtful / wrong. Smart ones are usually on the surface.. "assuming" the depth is okay. https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/121/11/1771/30038/The-importance-of-stupidity-in-scientific-research https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/121/11/1771/3003...
- gsf_emergency_2 2y ago
  As someone who has been censured for recommending the word "imbecility" to describe a healthful state of mind that we should all embrace: I think a HN-friendly way to reword such advice is: Don't shy away from poking at your own confusion, because sometimes you get to poke others as a bonus
- rightbyte 2y ago
  Sure but there are also stupid questions that waste the groups time. They are common in university lectures. Some people, like maybe 2%, seem to have a urge that when the lecturer asks for questions, someone has to ask one to not make the lecturer sad.
SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
See also "The Stupidity Manifesto" https://insimpleterms.blog/the-stupidity-manifesto https://insimpleterms.blog/the-stupidity-manifesto "LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. Instead, let’s encourage everyone to ask questions"
- explodes 2y ago
  Don't alienate! Educate!
maayank 2y ago
Yes, but it requires a truly disciplined management layer to foster such an environment, e.g. not commenting negatively in 1:1s on the comments of a 3rd party and remediate immediately any such accidental remarks that might hurt the safety to be vulnerable.
nyeah 2y ago
Great advice. I think it's one good rule. It needs to be combined with other good rules, like "meeting time can be precious".
trescenzi 2y ago
The opposite of this, actively over explaining, is also a great way to grow trust and your career. By trying to anticipate questions when communicating at work, or writing code, you open up the room for others to ask questions and speed up finding solutions especially in situations like in the article.
- tartoran 2y ago
  Overexplaining things you don't have a good grasp on is not the best idea idea out there. Asking questions can help piecing together some understanding which when when communicated and has some kind of feedback, does have a good effect on further learning. I used the word communicated instead of overexplaining which I find a bit overbearing. Overexplaining... If the point gets across the first time why repeat it ad nauseum?
  - trescenzi 2y ago
    This is a good example of how communication can be hard. I’m not suggesting the person without information over explain. I agree that’s a pretty silly idea. I’m suggesting that as the other person, the person building the flux capacitors, a good idea is to assume that others might not know what a flux capacitor is and try to anticipate questions.
1970-01-01 2y ago
>Plus, asking a ‘stupid’ question won’t get you fired That depends on charisma. If you're so out of touch that your question drops a level of confidence in your work, you're done. This is corporate politics 101.
- ilrwbwrkhv 2y ago
  Yep and those asking the smart questions and strategically only the smart questions do get higher social points and promotions and raises. One of the many reasons I couldn't square being an authentic human and being in corporate and left to do my own thing.
  - xrd 2y ago
    Yes: 360 degree reviews where your peers are mandated to find faults (or good things , of course) means it is really risky to say the wrong thing. Younger staff do not understand this when they themselves are climbing the corporate ladder. This is not as straightforward as the author makes it to be. I love asking dumb questions at conferences. You can feel the room change when people realize they aren't the dumbest person there.

41 points by codeman001 2y ago

"The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life". Plus, I like to tell my team: a stupid idea can be the seed of a good one.

svilen_dobrev 2y ago

stupid questions are the most important ones - they mean something very deep is missing / misty / doubtful / wrong. Smart ones are usually on the surface.. "assuming" the depth is okay. https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/121/11/1771/30038/The-importance-of-stupidity-in-scientific-research https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/121/11/1771/3003...

gsf_emergency_2 2y ago
As someone who has been censured for recommending the word "imbecility" to describe a healthful state of mind that we should all embrace: I think a HN-friendly way to reword such advice is: Don't shy away from poking at your own confusion, because sometimes you get to poke others as a bonus
rightbyte 2y ago
Sure but there are also stupid questions that waste the groups time. They are common in university lectures. Some people, like maybe 2%, seem to have a urge that when the lecturer asks for questions, someone has to ask one to not make the lecturer sad.

SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago

See also "The Stupidity Manifesto" https://insimpleterms.blog/the-stupidity-manifesto https://insimpleterms.blog/the-stupidity-manifesto "LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. Instead, let’s encourage everyone to ask questions"

explodes 2y ago
Don't alienate! Educate!

maayank 2y ago

Yes, but it requires a truly disciplined management layer to foster such an environment, e.g. not commenting negatively in 1:1s on the comments of a 3rd party and remediate immediately any such accidental remarks that might hurt the safety to be vulnerable.

nyeah 2y ago

Great advice. I think it's one good rule. It needs to be combined with other good rules, like "meeting time can be precious".

trescenzi 2y ago

The opposite of this, actively over explaining, is also a great way to grow trust and your career. By trying to anticipate questions when communicating at work, or writing code, you open up the room for others to ask questions and speed up finding solutions especially in situations like in the article.

tartoran 2y ago
Overexplaining things you don't have a good grasp on is not the best idea idea out there. Asking questions can help piecing together some understanding which when when communicated and has some kind of feedback, does have a good effect on further learning. I used the word communicated instead of overexplaining which I find a bit overbearing. Overexplaining... If the point gets across the first time why repeat it ad nauseum?
- trescenzi 2y ago
  This is a good example of how communication can be hard. I’m not suggesting the person without information over explain. I agree that’s a pretty silly idea. I’m suggesting that as the other person, the person building the flux capacitors, a good idea is to assume that others might not know what a flux capacitor is and try to anticipate questions.

1970-01-01 2y ago

>Plus, asking a ‘stupid’ question won’t get you fired That depends on charisma. If you're so out of touch that your question drops a level of confidence in your work, you're done. This is corporate politics 101.

ilrwbwrkhv 2y ago
Yep and those asking the smart questions and strategically only the smart questions do get higher social points and promotions and raises. One of the many reasons I couldn't square being an authentic human and being in corporate and left to do my own thing.
- xrd 2y ago
  Yes: 360 degree reviews where your peers are mandated to find faults (or good things , of course) means it is really risky to say the wrong thing. Younger staff do not understand this when they themselves are climbing the corporate ladder. This is not as straightforward as the author makes it to be. I love asking dumb questions at conferences. You can feel the room change when people realize they aren't the dumbest person there.