I’ve never understood that saying. Most real life actions are practically speaking nondeterministic. I’ve often found it worthwhile to test each course of action 10 times and keep track of what fraction it worked (if the course of action is quick and easy to test).
Right, which is why sometimes you need help—sometimes a domain expert tells you that yes, you might naively think that, having tried the same thing 25 times, you can reasonably give up, but that’s not true in this case because of these biological mechanisms.
Right, which is why sometimes you need help—sometimes a domain expert tells you that yes, you might naively think that, having tried the same thing 25 times, you can reasonably give up, but that’s not true in this case because of these biological mechanisms.
In lieu of (and in most cases in precedence over) biological mechanisms I would take testimony from the expert that, for example, “30 of the 50 people I have seen learn this took 30 or more attempts and I don’t know of a better way to try than what you are doing”.
If you really did the same thing in the same environment and expected a different result it would be insane, realistically I never expect the world to respond to my actions the same way twice so that saying holds about as much weight as any other truism.
Well, there will always be a difference in the readings on the clocks on the wall for each try, it is hard for one person to do the same thing 10 times simultaneously.
So if you allow the “except for things you didn’t think could possibly matter, or were unaware of” to remain implicit, do you get a better feeling about it?
I’ve just been doing a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle with the kids while on vacation. I can’t tell you how many pieces didn’t fit until about the 7th time I tried them.
Anybody who thinks doing a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle has nothing to do with the philosophy of science or engineering either has not done a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle, or has not done science or engineering, or is not thinking optimally.
I think like everything in practical truth, theory is quite different from reality. It is the philosopher’s noble task to narrow that difference, even as improvements in practice widen it faster than it can ever be narrowed.
Doing the same thing over and over again in the hopes of eventually getting a different result is, I’m told, one definition of insanity.
It is also, in my experience, an important aspect of physical therapy.
I’ve never understood that saying. Most real life actions are practically speaking nondeterministic. I’ve often found it worthwhile to test each course of action 10 times and keep track of what fraction it worked (if the course of action is quick and easy to test).
Right, which is why sometimes you need help—sometimes a domain expert tells you that yes, you might naively think that, having tried the same thing 25 times, you can reasonably give up, but that’s not true in this case because of these biological mechanisms.
In lieu of (and in most cases in precedence over) biological mechanisms I would take testimony from the expert that, for example, “30 of the 50 people I have seen learn this took 30 or more attempts and I don’t know of a better way to try than what you are doing”.
If you really did the same thing in the same environment and expected a different result it would be insane, realistically I never expect the world to respond to my actions the same way twice so that saying holds about as much weight as any other truism.
Well, there will always be a difference in the readings on the clocks on the wall for each try, it is hard for one person to do the same thing 10 times simultaneously.
So if you allow the “except for things you didn’t think could possibly matter, or were unaware of” to remain implicit, do you get a better feeling about it?
I’ve just been doing a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle with the kids while on vacation. I can’t tell you how many pieces didn’t fit until about the 7th time I tried them.
Anybody who thinks doing a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle has nothing to do with the philosophy of science or engineering either has not done a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle, or has not done science or engineering, or is not thinking optimally.
I think like everything in practical truth, theory is quite different from reality. It is the philosopher’s noble task to narrow that difference, even as improvements in practice widen it faster than it can ever be narrowed.