I know what you mean. I get that all the time, with all of the unsolved math problems I occasionally look at. And since my name isn’t on wikipedia yet, I haven’t solved any of them.
Although, in this case I would argue that we’re better off knowing we’re wrong, than being happy for the wrong reasons. The happiness at an end-of-semester party comes from a different source (socializing, having fun, etc), which are, dare I say, the “right” reasons. Destroying this happiness by the truth will not lead to the discovery of more truth, as it were (the grade is already there). Destroying the happiness over a mistake at least lets you find truth in acknowledging such mistake.
But then again, if I have a “brilliant” idea, I start working on it immediately, without giving myself much of a chance to bask in its brilliance.
I know what you mean. I get that all the time, with all of the unsolved math problems I occasionally look at. And since my name isn’t on wikipedia yet, I haven’t solved any of them.
Although, in this case I would argue that we’re better off knowing we’re wrong, than being happy for the wrong reasons. The happiness at an end-of-semester party comes from a different source (socializing, having fun, etc), which are, dare I say, the “right” reasons. Destroying this happiness by the truth will not lead to the discovery of more truth, as it were (the grade is already there). Destroying the happiness over a mistake at least lets you find truth in acknowledging such mistake.
But then again, if I have a “brilliant” idea, I start working on it immediately, without giving myself much of a chance to bask in its brilliance.