this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] tdawg 97 points 1 month ago

Ah yes the paradox of knowledge. The more you learn, the more you learn how much more there is to learn

[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Intellectual curiosity is the true barometer; you either thirst to know more, or you're content with ignorance.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Eventually you realize you forget almost as much as you learn, it's like a bilge pump in a sinking boat. Then you focus on what you want to remember and come to acceptance with that.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You have to keep going through rehearsal of that old information to keep it from fading. The hard part is stacking new layers on the old layers.

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[–] theangryseal 2 points 1 month ago

This right here. Being content with ignorance s fine with me at the end of the day.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ah yes. I am truly a thirsty knowledge bitch.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

you know it!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There is a third way!

You thirst to know more but have a soul crushing deficit of self esteem and truly believe you're incapable of anything more than menial labor. You remain with your thirst, not content with your ignorance, but unable to overcome the self image of "absolute moron with no place in the scientific community who must be narcissistic for even thinking he could be" and so you grow to hate yourself even more because of it!

...Err.... Or so my friend says.

[–] NikkiDimes 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You don't have to go to higher education to pursue knowledge! We have more knowledge available to us freely than any other time on Earth!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

And for that matter, you don’t even have to pursue knowledge that will help you make money!

Taking a deep dive in some hobbies using free knowledge could very well enhance your life better than getting the masters degree and the promotion.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Though fair warning if you are too much of a knowledge collector Odin will invade your dreams and you will become a neo-pagan. Or atleast thats what happened to be, I throw shit at him when he does, he laughs.

[–] Frostbeard 2 points 1 month ago

The more I learn, the better I understand Monthy Pythons song about how sweet it is to be an idot

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Everyone is just making it up as we go along.

Be skeptical of anyone who claims they have the answer.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

42!

But who has the question?!

:P

[–] halcyoncmdr 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I know you're being cheeky, but we did get an answer to what the Ultimate Question was...

spoilerThe Ultimate Question "What do you get when you multiply six by nine" is found by Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The tainted question because the B ark landed on earth ruining the results.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

What is 41! Multip*ied by 42?

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

I was arguing with a engineer two weeks ago about systems. I never met him before. But he had a few drinks and interrupted our conversation. And I nearly lost my shit because of how confident this guy was speaking, saying obvious things and being vague, while not saying anything at all. Like, "This system isn't good at all! We should all follow Clean Code principles!"

Then someone pulled me aside and said, "Go easy on the guy. He's only been in the industry for a year."

And I did feel bad. But also like, my dude... You are going to wake up to realizing you know nothing about everything.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You are going to wake up to realizing you know nothing about everything.

I wish I had your optimism about humanity.

[–] TempermentalAnomaly 13 points 1 month ago

This guy sounds like management material.

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[–] Yokozuna 26 points 1 month ago

Coming out of my undergrad I definitely did not feel that. I think it should be relabeled to high-school and undergrad is I feel SO dumb

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago

wisdom is understanding what we dont know

[–] Diplomjodler3 16 points 1 month ago

The more you know, the more you know what you don't know. People who know nothing often think they know everything.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (3 children)

"All I know is that I know nothing."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

that's more than some people who think they know everything.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

My all time favorite "Stig Fact" from Top Gear is

"They say that he knows only two things about ducks..and both of them are wrong"

Which would arguably qualify as knowing less than nothing about ducks 😁

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Whenever I see this quote (or others like it) I hear it read in Bill's voice from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

Bill : Socrates [SOH -crates]- ' the only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.

Ted: Dude, that's us!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's it, no discussion.

There's people who don't understand what that means.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think it's a general thing with highly capable persons in expert and highly intellectual domains that eventually you kinda figure out what Socrates actually meant with "All I know is that I know nothing"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I feel like that sentiment is easily reached by anyone who is curious and likes to learns, so a lot of people.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

I have come to realize a PhD just means you have spent a lot of time thinking about what you are doing.

Doesn't mean what you are doing is smart really. Just well thought about.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I disagree. Most people seem dumb, but there are select few which are incredibly genius.

Like, I heard of a model theorist who produces quality papers every month or so. Then there is also Andrew Wiles, who proved Fermat's last theorem through labyrinth of Langlands. The complexity and depth of the field is just insane.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

Yes, balanced on the other end by billions of mouth-breathing maroons.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

basically everyone is smart about some things, and a few people end up in situations where they can apply themselves to the thing they're smart at.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Me at 34 with no post secondary education: I wish i could afford to goto school

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I already knew that I and everyone is dumb before my undergrad. Am I smart?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I think you're more wise than smart?

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[–] exothermic 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Masters level living in that PhD level mindset. We a bunch of dumb animals

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

IMO, all three of these statements are correct.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I think the difference is that some people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the same realization.

[–] MehBlah 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I've been this way my whole life. I learn something new and realize I don't know shit.

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[–] emergencybird 3 points 1 month ago

Graduated and am working as a junior engineer and I basically feel like I have a mountain of stuff I need to learn, I can see I've grown since I started a year ago but man is there still so much for me to learn

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Hey, the only reason you choose to think that way is... bc it is objectively true.:-|

[–] dohpaz42 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This also tracks for programming.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Tbh in programming that is a healthy attitude to have. If you assume everyone who handles your code in the future, including yourself, is a dumbass, it makes you write more reliable and transparent code.

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