David Gowers (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} dgowers) wrote,@ 2007-03-27 21:48:00 |
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Expectation of competence
The way to answer the question 'Will I be any good at this?' is to ask, 'Is this simple, or complex?'. Then you may say certainly, whether a thing is easy or hard - meaning how much effort over time it will take -, if it is simple and you work at it, you will be good at it. And most things are simple -- complications are mostly invented, a natural learning path is possible for most things, where you simply notice the most salient element, address it and learn about it, and repeat.
The way to answer the question 'Will I be any good at this?' is to ask, 'Is this simple, or complex?'. Then you may say certainly, whether a thing is easy or hard - meaning how much effort over time it will take -, if it is simple and you work at it, you will be good at it. And most things are simple -- complications are mostly invented, a natural learning path is possible for most things, where you simply notice the most salient element, address it and learn about it, and repeat.
