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Fierce Nerds

paulgraham.com

411–420 of 482 posts

Re: Fierce Nerds

#411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there any broader context to this quote?

Nope, it's from his book of aphorisms.

Took me a moment to realize that he has literally written a book of aphorisms, and that this wasn't a smarmy dismissal. Well worth the chuckle.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#412
post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whenever there is dichotomous thinking, cognition has moved away from clarity. Can you expand on this?

Clarity is about seeing how things are, not how you've chosen to divide things up. (I added this as an edit to my other reply, but it seems the edit is lost.)

You can't see anything in this world without dividing things up. That's how your senses (sensory inputs plus processing plus cognition) work. So this version of "clarity" seems hard to achieve.

Maybe just settle for "try to limit the extent to which your cognitive biases and priors shape how you think the world is". You can't reduce them to zero, but you can reduce them a bit.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chefs/Kitchens are stereotypically full of yelling, and (otherwise) well-regarded chefs definitely live up to that - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/05/dining/restaurant-workers...

That still doesn't mean that not yelling should receive any sort of admiration. You don't get bonus points for doing what should be the bare minimum, regardless of what the current norms are.

I don't see why not. Should the anti-slavery campaigners of the 1800s receive no admiration, despite social norms at the time, because vocal opposition to slavery "should be the bare minimum"?

What about companies now that go out of their way to make sure none of the workers in their supply chain are exploited? That should be the bare minimum - should we ignore the effort that they've gone to?

What about a family member who's been clean from drugs for 10 years? Should we celebrate with them, or just ignore their achievement because not being addicted to drugs is pretty much considered the bare minimum by broader society?

Re: Fierce Nerds

#415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, it's from his book of aphorisms.

Took me a moment to realize that he has literally written a book of aphorisms, and that this wasn't a smarmy dismissal. Well worth the chuckle.

I'll take all the laughs I can get! No smarm intended.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#416

"Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?" -Jeff Bezos https://www.princeton.edu/news/2010/05/30/2010-baccalaureate... "Fierce nerds" can be valuable. Sure. But the folks who truly stand out in my mind are a level higher. They're the ones at the top of their game, who know how to demand & command excellence, without being jerks about it. I'm reminded of this episode of "The Chef Show" where J…

> "Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?" -Jeff Bezos That an interesting read, thanks. I struggle to square what Bezos is saying with what Amazon has become. He is clearly incredibly clever but appears devoid of any kindness toward his low level employees. Am I missing something?

> > "Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?" -Jeff Bezos

> I struggle to square what Bezos is saying with what Amazon has become. He is clearly incredibly clever but appears devoid of any kindness toward his low level employees.

That seems perfectly consistent - he chose option A.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#417
Nerdiness is an expression of trauma. Pain in our lives leads us to recede into areas of interest. These can be things that "fix" us or things that we are naturally good at or become good at. Its all therapy to feel better about ourselves. Everyone has trauma and everyone is a nerd in some area. Aggression is projection. When lashing out we chose areas of safety from which to do it. Thus people who have been hurt chose to be aggressive in their areas of expertise. Boom fierce nerds.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#418
Though there is room for fierceness as an engine for motivation, generally kindness/understanding over bluntness/abrasiveness is the way to go for meaningful long term impact. There’s a reason, for example, why Sundar Pichai became CEO instead of anyone else. This is also an argument against Paul’s proclamation of “fierce” leaders being required for successful businesses.

Overall though, I agree with the general sentiment of the post. The end paragraph was a nice touch:

> There has never been a better time to be a nerd. In the past century we've seen a continuous transfer of power from dealmakers to technicians — from the charismatic to the competent — and I don't see anything on the horizon that will end it. At least not till the nerds end it themselves by bringing about the singularity.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clarity is about seeing how things are, not how you've chosen to divide things up. (I added this as an edit to my other reply, but it seems the edit is lost.)

You can't see anything in this world without dividing things up. That's how your senses (sensory inputs plus processing plus cognition) work. So this version of "clarity" seems hard to achieve. Maybe just settle for "try to limit the extent to which your cognitive biases and priors shape how you think the world is". You can't reduce them to zero, but you can reduce them a bit.

I agree on the practical level, which is pertinent here.

It is possible to experience non-dual consciousness in high concentration states. [EDIT: For many, this experience is a milestone in psychospiritual development, which undermines the habit of dichotomous thinking.] Awareness and perception aren’t the same thing. Way, way off the subject, but your main point stands, be mindful of priors.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#420
"In the past century we've seen a continuous transfer of power from dealmakers to technicians — from the charismatic to the competent" hard to justify given Trump
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