/sci/ - Science & Math » Thread #13369247

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The Hedgehog and the Fox

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 18:48:21 2021 No.13369247 View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>13369320

Let me try once more...
Which approach to thinking is better in the context of science? the Hedgehog or the Fox in the sense expounded by Isiah Berlin.
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hedgehog_and_the_Fox
This is clearly of great interest since how one thinks influences one's contributions to science.
Please do not delete jannies, this serious.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 18:57:25 No.13369271 Report

Quoted By:

To jannies: I genuinely wasn't trolling. I picked that picture because I thought it was cute and a cartoon would get more clicks. Calm the fuck down.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:05:14 No.13369298 Report

Quoted By: >>13369308 >>13369324 >>13371561

Science is becoming more "fox-y", e.g. disciplines at the interface of two fields such as math and bio, but the difficulty of many problems means these become "hedgehog-y" very fast. I'd argue the latter is more important for this reason

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:06:38 No.13369300 Report

Quoted By: >>13369877

There isn’t a unified aim of science. Objective truth isn’t the aim for many scientists for whom knowledge in their speciality, devoid of context from other fields, is the priority. For these people the hedgehog is the model. Some science aims to make discoveries about the nature of the world in a general context, these are the thinkers that invent electricity, design functional products and make cross discipline discoveries. Both ways of thinking are essential, an arm for discovery and an arm for mastery. Foxes are more likely to be unhelpful and add nothing, but their contributions are likely to be higher impact. The question you should ask then is: what do I want to use science for?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:11:18 No.13369308 Report

Quoted By:

>>13369298
That's true, I never considered it but there's a simultaneous push for multi-disciplinary knowledge yet at the same time specialization. In this case, I'd agree with you, for the individual hedgehog thinking is probably better.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:17:09 No.13369320 Report

Quoted By:

>>13369247
Science is undoubtedly "hedgehogy". Each field holds itself on a pedestal and other fields in contempt; the obvious jobless losers on /sci/ act like they're part of an entire "scientific" institution. No scientist does that.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:18:34 No.13369324 Report

Quoted By: >>13369877

>>13369298
the "problems" are difficult BECAUSE they are being made hedgehog-y. there is no desire whatsoever for solutions, because then they wouldn't be able to extract billions of dollars from governments. foxes would blow that game right up, so they are viciously discouraged

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:26:17 No.13369345 Report

Quoted By:

Hedgehogism easily gives way to Maslow's hammer which is sometimes more hurtful than helpful; take for example, all the 19th century (pseudo-)intellectuals who misapplied natural-selectionist thinking to things in which it didn't apply. It's always better to be a fox.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 19:27:18 No.13369351 Report

Quoted By: >>13369651

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 21:14:56 No.13369651 Report

Quoted By:

>>13369351
Cool image bro.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 07 Jul 2021 22:51:12 No.13369877 Report

Quoted By:

>>13369324
Nah, there's a context involved but the problem with gays happen everywhere too:
>>13369300

Some jews research something that has very little value even among pure research just to justify their gibs and mafia, for example, and a lot of practical thinkers are just scammers.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 08 Jul 2021 03:31:43 No.13370617 Report

Quoted By:

bump.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 08 Jul 2021 12:09:05 No.13371561 Report

Quoted By:

>>13369298
>Science is becoming more "fox-y"
Could be. Trouble is, with the knowledge event horizon problem, we need people to go deep and far, which is more like a hedgehog, and then, after the new tunnels of knowledge have been cleared, comes the time for cross relating like a fox.
This problem will probably bite hard in less than 100 years.

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