tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post370123408231598578..comments2024-01-13T18:57:18.243-05:00Comments on Information Processing: Why are modern scientists so dull?Steve Hsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02428333897272913660noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-91398530003496801502009-10-31T23:08:30.067-04:002009-10-31T23:08:30.067-04:00Just how does peer review differ from mob rule?Just how does peer review differ from mob rule?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07456541869457475588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-76170533772716336522009-07-12T18:14:09.720-04:002009-07-12T18:14:09.720-04:00At any rate, I liked some of the vadlo researcher ...At any rate, I liked some of the vadlo <a href="http://vadlo.com/cartoons.php?id=33" rel="nofollow">researcher cartoons</a>!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-6293609711479062902009-06-27T12:54:50.248-04:002009-06-27T12:54:50.248-04:00Um, I think that is true in every field, and every...Um, I think that is true in every field, and every workplace...<br />That's why I am now a professional slacker...donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00762690167864156774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-37711820285985962502009-06-24T00:54:54.086-04:002009-06-24T00:54:54.086-04:00I didn't read the whole post before commenting...I didn't read the whole post before commenting.<br /><br />Steve. If you believe there is actually such a thing as "Asperger's Syndrome", then you are one of the hoop jumpers.Ian Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06837467954881003505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-67557246976276618772009-06-24T00:47:25.918-04:002009-06-24T00:47:25.918-04:00This true of science and every other field in the ...This true of science and every other field in the US. The US is run by pushy people who prefer pushy people.<br /><br />At my PhD school those who had research fellowships coming in dropped out at a much higher rate than those who didn't.<br /><br />Formal education is a waste of time and money. It's disgusting. Standardized tests and curricula is enough. The Society of Actuaries does it.Ian Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06837467954881003505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-47702130967999269982009-06-23T19:28:55.434-04:002009-06-23T19:28:55.434-04:00While thinking about Indian scientists before Inde...While thinking about Indian scientists before Independence and after, I came to conclusions similar to Bruce Charlton's. However, the global picture seems a bit different. For one thing, I think that there is some tolerance for those who do not fit in, since the rest know that they need good ideas (think of Perelman). Secondly, there is a sort of cumulative intelligence. Interactions and gaddeswaruphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16509075029154476375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-10532445873065314272009-06-21T11:39:26.283-04:002009-06-21T11:39:26.283-04:00Perhaps that Ayn Rand was on to something.
The on...<i>Perhaps that Ayn Rand was on to something.</i><br /><br />The only thing Ayn Rand was on to was how to tell somewhat intelligent but insecure people that, by following her program, they can be really really special. Oh, that and coming up with a very funny excuse for satiating her animal lust for a much younger man.Paul Yarbleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00892237552091964041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-21453310314601609582009-06-21T02:50:56.323-04:002009-06-21T02:50:56.323-04:00I don't agree that today's scientists are ...I don't agree that today's scientists are more "dull" than in the past. First of all, the talent pool is much larger, the social mechanisms that identify ability and sort people are more pervasive and far-reaching than before - more smart kids will get channeled into college these days than into say a blue-collar job. <br /><br />Second, I doubt great scientists lack in tchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10540495343231722385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-53947906974107992732009-06-21T00:24:58.988-04:002009-06-21T00:24:58.988-04:00You're taking "evenly matched" too l...You're taking "evenly matched" too literally. Of course you have some players that are better than others (there is still a distribution), but they're competitive.<br /><br />On the other hand, most guards from the 50s would have no chance of making an NBA team today. And most NFL players from that era wouldn't be able to start for a division I team (way too small and slow).Steve Hsuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02428333897272913660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-91236131614048136632009-06-20T23:55:36.881-04:002009-06-20T23:55:36.881-04:00> Every guard in the NBA is an athletic freak o...> Every guard in the NBA is an athletic freak of nature [and they would destroy their predecessors from the early era of professional basketball], even though they are evenly matched when playing against each other.<br /><br />What!?! Kobe Bryant is evenly matched against <i>anyone</i> else in the NBA? I can't speak to your physics example, but I <i>can</i> say that it's silly to claimBill Millhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065077215311205545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-86352031211279404062009-06-20T14:10:16.228-04:002009-06-20T14:10:16.228-04:00Aside from superstars however, there is a nonzero ...Aside from superstars however, there is a nonzero value for being able to collaborate well with others, particularly since that is how most (non-superstar) science gets done. We online tend to have a bias towards raw ability but tend to overlook the difficulties caused by genuinely "raw" geniuses. It is questionable, for example, whether Dr. House does more good than bad, given his Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16606805646193885970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-72166236720585040452009-06-20T14:03:14.248-04:002009-06-20T14:03:14.248-04:00It's like this in the defense industry, too.It's like this in the defense industry, too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-53506314504722715162009-06-20T10:51:02.977-04:002009-06-20T10:51:02.977-04:00When reading about these topics I often feel the a...When reading about these topics I often feel the author has some motive other than presenting an honest assessment of the reality.<br /><br />In theoretical physics, the first stage of selection is graduate school. This is based on grades and recommendations. These reward people who do well on tests, and those who impress faculty with their insight. In the latter case, the biggest rewards go Michael Salemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05074085486685205543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-6787788149417704112009-06-20T07:44:10.095-04:002009-06-20T07:44:10.095-04:00Sounds awful! While there is a lot of truth in wha...Sounds awful! While there is a lot of truth in what he says it's not quite as bad as he makes it sound. There's still places where truth-seeking is valued over agreeableness and socializing skills. Not to mention that in some countries it's more your mafia-connections that get you jobs. The trend is worrisome though. <br /><br />Makes one wonder how much worse it gets when one states Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-66742841770504677852009-06-20T04:14:27.735-04:002009-06-20T04:14:27.735-04:00The revolutionary scientist described in the passa...The revolutionary scientist described in the passage reminds me of Howard Roark from the Fountainhead. Perhaps that Ayn Rand was on to something.LBJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00244383151229351210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-40289800831776784712009-06-20T03:24:45.984-04:002009-06-20T03:24:45.984-04:00This is the author of the paper (Bruce G Charlton)...This is the author of the paper (Bruce G Charlton) - thanks for covering it. <br /><br />I agree that selection for Conscientiousness is likely to be stronger in medical science than in physics, and of course physics selects more strongly for IQ than does medical science. <br /><br />I have, however, been told by a very famous physicist that he sees no sign of real revolutionary science in the Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-61229723199621058492009-06-20T00:59:40.039-04:002009-06-20T00:59:40.039-04:00This little essay is much to the point here.This little <a href="http://radian.org/%7Ekrstic/LockhartsLament.pdf" rel="nofollow">essay</a> is much to the point here.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16486234948199900568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880610.post-3435264504641976552009-06-19T23:21:47.595-04:002009-06-19T23:21:47.595-04:00I think it is generally true that as human activit...I think it is generally true that as human activities become institutionalized, agreeableness is selected over intelligence. Hence the modern organization's emphasis on "fit".Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17946926584250268401noreply@blogger.com