A heuristic for me to identify somebody who is Richard Feynman smart. If they cannot give you two separate analogies and or metaphors for what they're explaining. They don't know f*** all. They are linear and one way thinkers. Information regurgitator.
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Replying to @paulportesi
I see. You think you have a metaphor for identifying 1 in 10^8 people.
2 replies 1 retweet 17 likes -
Replying to @EmanuelDerman @paulportesi
It fascinates me how naive people are about the abilities that matter. Oppenheimer was surely just as "smart" as Feynman, as are many people of whom no one has ever heard. Ultimately, "smart" is a very minor trait, compared with "original." And accident plays a huge role, too.
1 reply 2 retweets 5 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @paulportesi
I agree completely. Smartness is a dime a dozen. People think you’re smart if you can quickly understand what other people have done. Discovering something new about the way the world works, or creating genuine literature or art, is a different story.
1 reply 2 retweets 8 likes
Alas, it surely is. And although what great discoverers and creators know about how they do their work is not negligible, it *is* largely ineffable. Which is why apprenticeship is so valuable. For, happily, it is possible to learn more than can be taught. Takes time, though.
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