> Ever notice that great developments in a field generally
> happen right after an "expert" in the field claims that
> further developments are impossible?
Actually, I'd dispute that claim. It may *seem* that way,
but it's more than likely just a heuristic. For example,
it may seem like it always rains after you wash your
car, but that's because you are not as likely to
make a note when it rains and you haven't
just washed your car. I don't know of any serious
experts in a field who would make such a claim in the
first place.
To be an extreme devil's advocate, I don't think
that you are neccesarily likely to say/do something
stupid just when you think you know it all. Sure,
cockiness can lead to errors, but that does not
change you level of knowledge on a subject. All that
said, few experts would claim to "know everything".
</DEVIL's_ADVOCATE>
I strive for not the Beginner's Mind, but
the Empty Mind.
To attain knowledge, add things every day.
To attain wisdom, remove things every day.
Tao Te Ching
The day that we stop learning is the day that we
die. So many people are not happy with their jobs,
are not challenged in their daily tasks, do not
have the wonderful feeling of Figuring Something
Out, and still continue to work where they do.
They are the opposite of the self-proclaimed
Expert: both have stopped learning, one because
she has told herself that there is nothing further
to learn, and the other one has surpressed his
desire to learn, and thus, to live. Live your life
in the middle: constantly learning, seeking out
new experiences, while realizing that in the grand
scheme of things, you will have learned almost nothing.
Yet walking around the entire world and ending up in
your own backyard may not take you far, but what a
trip that would be!
| [reply] |