In research, both problem finding and problem solving are important. Surprisingly often, problem finding is more important than problem solving.
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Replying to @michael_nielsen
I'm reminded of
@Meaningness's "problem formulation" section in How To Think Real Good https://meaningness.com/metablog/how-to-think …, which has a lot of anecdotal gems1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes -
Replying to @MuhammadPuter12 @michael_nielsen
Slightly embarrassed by that piece now; I wrote it in one long day, many years ago, when
@xuenay asked “if not Bayesianism, then what?” It’s a half-baked brain-dump. But I’m glad it’s still of some interest! Book I’m writing now is trying to do a better job on the same topic.1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @Meaningness @MuhammadPuter12 and
In the current outline, problem finding/creation is in “When to get meta-rational,” “Locating trouble,” “Creating a Problem,” and “Feeling for an ontology.”pic.twitter.com/PDtPf9Nsb5
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Looking forward to the book. Just want to point out that the topic of my thread is field finding (not field founding nor problem finding).
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Replying to @michael_nielsen @Meaningness and
Can I add into the mix of things you weren't discussing 'moment choosing'. That is, tackling a problem at the moment when it goes from being impossible to merely difficult. Been really important for me, entirely through luck of course rather than design.
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Replying to @CameronNeylon @michael_nielsen and
Wow, yes! I’ve been lucky that way too. Some people are in the right place at the right time over and over, in which case it’s probably not luck. Sydney Brenner is my favorite example of that.
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Replying to @Meaningness @michael_nielsen and
People also get over confident. Thinking the first time wasn't luck (or rather misinterpreting their success). Thinking about it, it might be a meta-skill. Problem selection/formulation combined with receptivity to identifying/abstracting newly possible approaches
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Yes! And, conversely, feeling for when your field is running out of momentum and it’s time to look for something else that may be opening out
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Replying to @Meaningness @michael_nielsen and
Is that the inverse of the same thing? Realising that the pool of significant problems is drying up and the available tools don't generalise to other/broader/bigger problems? (I trained in chemistry. This may not be coincidental...)
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