Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
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Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
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Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#2Wow. I got goosebumps reading that at the end. Great writing. Thanks for sharing this valuable advice.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#3Does this work for Feynman, because he is a genius? in the same way that lots of successful people offer tidbits of advice that wouldn't apply to someone in different circumstances, or perhaps with a different level of intellect.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#4Does this work for Feynman, because he is a genius? in the same way that lots of successful people offer tidbits of advice that wouldn't apply to someone in different circumstances, or perhaps with a different level of intellect.
Your comment reminds me of the Feynman Algorithm [0], which is pure gold:
1. Write down the problem.
2. Think real hard.
3. Write down the solution.
"The Feynman algorithm was facetiously suggested by Murray Gell-Mann, a colleague of Feynman, in a New York Times interview."
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#5Does this work for Feynman, because he is a genius? in the same way that lots of successful people offer tidbits of advice that wouldn't apply to someone in different circumstances, or perhaps with a different level of intellect.
This does work for you, if you're on to something, even though the fact applies that you cannot know if the thing you're on to isn't already discovered and/or correct, which are things that are mostly impossible to know: https://www.xkcd.com/1163/
Your point about working/collaborating/trusting in others is a twofold thing. Environments where everyone thrives to their max are very rare and hard to protect. Centrally here, being aware of what you need and how you can work with (or without) others is the crucial thing, and yes, reverse Dunning-Kruger happens to the best of us.
UPDATE: A bit of humility keeps every scientist's personality on the way towards self-improvement and breakthrough.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#6Very nice little story and good advice, but I think most of us feel that completely disregarding others is not always the best solution. It really is a exploration vs exploitation problem.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#7I'm not sure if it's reassuring or utterly disheartening that even somebody as brilliant as Feynman can be laid low with impostor syndrome.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#8Does this work for Feynman, because he is a genius? in the same way that lots of successful people offer tidbits of advice that wouldn't apply to someone in different circumstances, or perhaps with a different level of intellect.
It's just a story about a human being at a particular point in his life. These stories do not yield lessons that are applicable at all times and to all people. They are just insights that may help a particular person at a particular moment - just as he was helped by having that insight at that time. At another time in his career he might have had the opposite insight: I need to immerse myself in listening to others.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#9Does this work for Feynman, because he is a genius? in the same way that lots of successful people offer tidbits of advice that wouldn't apply to someone in different circumstances, or perhaps with a different level of intellect.
I don't see what his epiphany of disregarding has to do with genius or intellect. It seems more like his own life lesson about self-doubt.
Re: Feynman’s Breakthrough: Disregard Others
#10Does this work for Feynman, because he is a genius? in the same way that lots of successful people offer tidbits of advice that wouldn't apply to someone in different circumstances, or perhaps with a different level of intellect.
I think it works for everybody but you need to be brave or crazy enough to apply it.
If you pay attention to what the others are doing, you are working inside what is socially acceptable in your group and usually you are not going to go against the stablished truth. Hence you will not be able to add any breakthrough to your area of expertise.
Feynman as the post says, experienced this social anxiety once he had the fame. He was able to recognice that you can not truly advance in new topics if you don't ignore social preasure, even if it's self inflicted.
Of course that means that you risk being called a crank, or not getting tenure, or grants for your proyects.
There is huge value in incremental knowledge, but to be Einstein, Watson or Feynman you first need to publish something new that most people will not recognice as valuable at first, if ever...
Edit typos.