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I know taking issue with Einstien is not a good idea - but I'll do it anyway. Learning - and putting as much relevent material in your working memory is benefic

by K2h 14y ago

I know taking issue with Einstien is not a good idea - but I'll do it anyway. Learning - and putting as much relevent material in your working memory is beneficial to seeing the bigger picture and quick informed decisions. A collection of one line facts (what you get when you look something up) does not make wisdom. Sure, most of us have extremely small working memories, but it does not negate the benefit for learning and retaining material on a subject. as an example, I find when I have to look up the syntax for each.. and... every.. function... my programming proceeds at a snails pace. Just an example.

diminoten 14y ago
This is a great point and can't be understated. When you're in a meeting or conversing with someone who just knows things, the conversation moves so very much faster than if you have to guess or be vague due to a lack of knowledge. I Google like crazy for answers about things, but I consider not knowing a failure on my part, and endeavor to learn the thing I had to google, so I don't have to "fail" again. I think everyone should think of this problem in a similar way, lest we fall into a habit of saying whatever we want and assuming we'll be corrected if we're wrong (or some other ill).
DanBC 14y ago
Feynman makes a good point when he's describing why he isn't a genius. Someone shows him a blueprint and he just happens to know X because (I can't remember, something he did last week) and that's such a little thing, but everyone is "wow!" and then someone else asks him a question and really, Y is the obvious answer because square root Z is (something something something) and everyone says "wow". It ends up that Feynman worked on a lot of stuff, all the time, and remembered a lot of it. I guess Feynman wouldn't have remembered his phone number unless it had some interesting characteristic.
- bandy 14y ago
  With a very possible "interesting characteristic" being the measurements of the lady who answered the phone.

by K2h 14y ago

diminoten 14y ago

This is a great point and can't be understated. When you're in a meeting or conversing with someone who just knows things, the conversation moves so very much faster than if you have to guess or be vague due to a lack of knowledge. I Google like crazy for answers about things, but I consider not knowing a failure on my part, and endeavor to learn the thing I had to google, so I don't have to "fail" again. I think everyone should think of this problem in a similar way, lest we fall into a habit of saying whatever we want and assuming we'll be corrected if we're wrong (or some other ill).

DanBC 14y ago

Feynman makes a good point when he's describing why he isn't a genius. Someone shows him a blueprint and he just happens to know X because (I can't remember, something he did last week) and that's such a little thing, but everyone is "wow!" and then someone else asks him a question and really, Y is the obvious answer because square root Z is (something something something) and everyone says "wow". It ends up that Feynman worked on a lot of stuff, all the time, and remembered a lot of it. I guess Feynman wouldn't have remembered his phone number unless it had some interesting characteristic.

bandy 14y ago
With a very possible "interesting characteristic" being the measurements of the lady who answered the phone.