Sunday, February 12, 2012

[zfqefzks] If you don't understand it, it's bullshit

Consider the adage: if you don't understand it, it's bullshit.

Let's consider the four possibilities:

It is bullshit, and you don't understand it.  Yay, the adage is true.  We are relying on the underlying truth that, in principle, no amount of explanation can make bullshit understandable because it is built on lies.

It is bullshit, but you think you understand it.  You've been fooled.  Perhaps education should aim to reduce this scenario.

(Gray coding)

It is not bullshit, and you understand it.  The normal true case.  A true statement can withstand any amount of scrutiny and still show true, but a false one will eventually give way to a logical or other fatal flaw.

It is not bullshit, but you don't understand it.  (E.g., quantum mechanics).  Part of the problem could be the lack of effective communication from the teacher (in a broad sense) to you.  Technology could lessen this problem, connecting you to the understandable explanation.  The big problem seems to distinguishing this case from first case above. 
 
Inspired by instances where I could not understand something (thinking it was true but too complicated for me), but after time, the actual reason turned out to be because it was bullshit.

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