What I've Learned About Smart People. • Hacker News Board

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#11

Post by the_cat_kittles » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:36 PM UTC

jczhang wrote: post #6

So what do you do if you're in an environment that discourages asking dumb questions you might have?

That is a toxic environment rife with intellectual insecurity, most likely. Either ask questions and not give a shit about "looking dumb", or leave. If someone thinks you are dumb because you asked some questions, I wouldn't give their opinion much weight.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#12

Post by Lambent_Cactus » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:39 PM UTC

ryanwhitney wrote: post #3

Reminded my of this, from Gladwell's Outliers : "The way you were raised, namely with wealthy or less fortunate parents, also plays a role. Gladwell explains that when wealthy parents drive their children to the doctor, they tell their children things like, “Johnny, now if you have any questions, be sure to ask the doctor. This is your opportunity to talk to him about any health problems you’re having….” And so on. I…

Which is to say, asking questions isn't so much a marker of intelligence so much as of privilege. More than any particular subject matter, that's what Harvard is instructing its students in.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#13

Post by Drbble » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:39 PM UTC

ryanwhitney wrote: post #3

Reminded my of this, from Gladwell's Outliers : "The way you were raised, namely with wealthy or less fortunate parents, also plays a role. Gladwell explains that when wealthy parents drive their children to the doctor, they tell their children things like, “Johnny, now if you have any questions, be sure to ask the doctor. This is your opportunity to talk to him about any health problems you’re having….” And so on. I…

Gladwell's story is completely made up though. Rich kids are more obedient due to their high class structured environment, whereas as poor kids live in a dog eat dog world where they learn fast to fight for survival.

Sociology is fun, any just-so story becomes social science. even.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#14

Post by dkarl » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:40 PM UTC

ryanwhitney wrote: post #3

Reminded my of this, from Gladwell's Outliers : "The way you were raised, namely with wealthy or less fortunate parents, also plays a role. Gladwell explains that when wealthy parents drive their children to the doctor, they tell their children things like, “Johnny, now if you have any questions, be sure to ask the doctor. This is your opportunity to talk to him about any health problems you’re having….” And so on. I…

I have a friend who is a doctor and works two weekends a month at a clinic in a poor area. (I think it's so poor that the clinic is closed on the weekends when he's not there.) Part of his job is having the right demeanor that people will trust him and actually follow his advice. That means projecting authority, the old-fashioned confidence and slightly superior air that people probably expected from a doctor in the 19th century. He interacts differently with educated patients; they ask him all kinds of things, and he doesn't pretend to be any more wise or knowledgeable than his training makes him. The less educated ones are likely to say nothing, nod respectfully, and then possibly not follow his advice at all if he didn't sufficiently impress them. (For example, they might drive ten minutes across the border into Mexico, buy three days' worth of antibiotics, and not interact with a doctor again until their condition gets much worse.)

I can only imagine the awkwardness when he mistakes one kind of patient for the other.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#15

Post by mattmanser » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:42 PM UTC

tnicola wrote: post #8

jczhang wrote: post #6

So what do you do if you're in an environment that discourages asking dumb questions you might have?

If there truly is an enviromnment that discourages asking questions because they deem them as 'dumb', then you need to work to improve such environment. In my experience, the only time questions were discouraged (and almost always in the interest of time) was because it was otherwise possible to get an answer to your questions. Can you give an example of the environment you would be talking about?

Any politicized working environment. People will twist your questions to trying to make you look stupid. You can counter it by actually asking other people in the room to explain it and lo-and-behold no-one understands but that's pretty much a downhill slope as then you're potentially making other people look stupid.

But to echo the other reply, get out, life's too short to bother with that.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#16

Post by UK-Al05 » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:45 PM UTC

I think this mostly comes with age. Older people tend to sceptical and challenge everything anyway. Probably because they have been screwed over a few times in their life and ask questions.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#17

Post by rcfox » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:45 PM UTC

jczhang wrote: post #6

So what do you do if you're in an environment that discourages asking dumb questions you might have?

I will always remember grade 4 because that was the year when I was forbidden from asking questions. I don't recall if they were dumb questions, but there sure were a lot of them.

It's okay though, because I didn't learn anything from that experience. ;D In my second year of engineering, I took a cognitive science class, and asked a ton of questions. At the end of the course, the professor recommended me for a fourth-year research course in a cogsci lab!

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#18

Post by lucisferre » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:45 PM UTC

jczhang wrote: post #6

So what do you do if you're in an environment that discourages asking dumb questions you might have?

I'm curious what you feel makes the environment one that discourages asking dumb questions. I ask partly, because I think everyone is somewhat insecure when faced with potentially appearing ignorant, particularly around people we feel are smart. So I think it's always valuable to question, is it really the environment that is creating this insecurity or are we simply choosing to feel insecure.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#19

Post by daviddaviddavid » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:45 PM UTC

It's worthy asking "Why do smart people ask questions?"

I think the answer is that when they don't fully understand something there is some sort of mental itch that just has to get scratched. Things just don't feel right until all of their questions are answered.

Also, I can't help but note how much these endlessly inquisitive smart people sound like the old gadfly Socrates. If philosophy has anything going for it, it is that it teaches one to ask questions about matters that are typically taken for granted.

Re: What I've Learned About Smart People.

#20

Post by aDemoUzer » Sun, Feb 12, 2012, 8:52 PM UTC

The article made a good point and I agree with it. In most of my classes, I was usually one of the or the only person who would either ask questions or attempt to give an answer. Equally important trait of a smart person is the willingness to answer a question - even when you are not fully sure. It is a great mean to understand new concepts.

1. If I am right, it validates my understanding of the concept.

2. If I am wrong, it bring misinformation to surface and gives me a reason to go over previously discussed material. If I never had experience where I was wrong, it puts me in the cycle of "I know everything, so I don't need to study."

3. It keeps me awake in class because asking and answering questions requires paying attention in class.