

Why we are much smarter than we think we are - LeonW
http://leostartsup.com/2012/02/why-we-are-much-smarter-than-we-think-we-are/

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sunchild
Am I the only person who considers use of the word "smart" as a leading
indicator of the absence of intelligence? The term is so vague as to be
utterly meaningless, and is usually a signal that we're really talking about
someone's insecurities, their feelings of inadequacy, or their passive-
aggressive megalomania. /psychobabble

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pyre
Does the phrase "work smarter, not harder" trigger your alarm bells too?

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ecaradec
You're probably past the point where this sentence is useful. Did you often
thought about that ? Most people didn't.

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szany
My immediate reaction:

\- There are circumstances where talking as if you know what you're talking
about when you really don't can do more harm than good, both to you and to
your audience.

\- The idea that we should stop learning before we get so deep into a subject
that we can't immediately communicate our insights to a layperson (which is
not very deep at all) smacks of anti-intellectualism.

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LeonW
Hey szany, thanks for the feedback, I can totally understand where you are
coming from.

That's interesting and I totally agree, talking as if you know all about the
subject can certainly do more harm than good. What I tried to focus on with
this post, is to see everything you do somewhat like an MVP. The key is to
keep getting feedback on everything you do and shipping stuff as soon as you
have a slight grasp of the situation. I didn't mean to pretend you are an
expert but to be content with the amount you have learnt and sharing it
immediately to learn more faster. Does that make sense?

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spacemanaki
I had a similar reaction as szany. I think part of the problem is that your
post has an really shallow example: knowledge of bars and restaurants in Hong
Kong. That's not a topic that would ever require very deep study.

There are a range of subjects which really do require deep study before you
should be spouting off on them, for instance: compilers. I've got stacks of
books on compilers and have spent a decent amount of time studying the details
of Lisp implementation, and I'm not sure there's much to be gained from
sharing what I know. I would just be regurgitating what I've read in books
which present the topic better than I could, so I don't think it would be
beneficial, unless I were to specifically seek out feedback from experts, but
that's not what you're talking about it seems.

I just think there are shades of gray here and your post might have benefited
from some more specific examples rather than presenting the idea that we are
in general "smarter" than we think we are. I find it humbling and inspiring to
realize how much "smarts" I _lack_ and how much I have to learn, when it comes
to deeply technical subjects.

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tedkalaw
I guess that Leo's post resonated with me because I find that the sharing of
what I've learned so far helps me learn it better - and sometimes, there are
people who are in the same boat as you before you came to some realization.

That is to say, sometimes I get stuck on something that should probably be
easy - and when I find the crux, the thing that got me unstuck, sharing that
is beneficial to people who are stuck in the same way. We all think and learn
differently, so if there's just one other person out there who thinks the same
way as me and might find things easier with the same realization I had...well,
I think it's worth it.

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pbjorklund
The act of sharing also requires you to evaluate what you know . It is through
the act of teaching that we can be more certain that we have truly learnt. I
myself often think that I know something, but when I try to explain it to
someone I often find nuances that I hadn't considered yet.

I don't think Leo is talking about giving the keynote adress at some GCC
symposium but rather sharing with the intent of gathering feedback as to gain
further insight into the subject.

It's not so much about training someone as it is about growing knowledge
together.

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mistercow
Well see the problem is that we're not _all_ smarter than we think. The
Dunning-Kruger effect means that some of us think we're much smarter than we
actually are. Unfortunately, 99% of the code out there seems to be written by
people in this latter category.

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vertr
I find it interesting that the author posits that those who _sell themselves_
as being smart therefore are.

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freshhawk
Well they were smart enough to realize that that's enough to convince most
people.

I can see his point in the context of marketing and pundit-ism.

In the context of anything actually intellectual this is all just silly but
the author isn't interested in or speaking to that world.

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joelg87
Great post Leo. There are some great comments here, but I have a feeling you
did not intend for people to think they are smarter than they are.

Rather, I think the point you may perhaps be trying to make is that we should
all be very pragmatic about sharing our lessons, no matter what stage we are
currently at. This is something I believe in very much. I feel far too many
people wait until they have achieved something they perceive as substantial
before they share their lessons or achievements.

I think we can all benefit by sharing our lessons much earlier and more
frequently. If we do it in an open way, where we acknowledge we are on a
journey and will need to make adjustments to reach our goal, then this humble
approach can really bring some fantastic advice from others who are just a
little further along. And, like you've said, there are without a doubt people
not as far along who can benefit too.

Cheers Leo!

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akg
I think the main problem is that we are in general unaware of what others do
not know. I think we all extrapolate that if we know something, others must
also. I'm not sure if that is a great self-centered reflective view we all
take or simply optimism for our fellow man. Either way, I find that
opportunities are missed because of this. I have many colleagues who are
experts in their field but believe that what they know is simply common sense.

