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When Knowledge Goes Bad
Oct. 6th, 2018 10:13 pmThe longer we live, the more things we have to re-learn or unlearn. I feel more put out having to re-learn something I already learned once than learning something new, but a better strategy would be to feel glad to be living long enough to be having to/getting to expand my consciousness.
Old Knowledge
Sometimes knowledge goes bad by becoming untrue.
* I'm average height now. It no longer makes sense to refer to myself as short.
* Prices change. Back in my day, ...
Sometimes knowledge goes bad by losing some or all of its relevance.
* I know how to dial a rotary phone, carefully set the needle onto a record so it doesn't scratch, and rewind a tape when I'm done, but who cares?
* We still have other movie theatres, but I'm generally going to Alamo Drafthouse now when I can. (Except the South Lamar location; I hate that parking garage.)
* I often think of old friends who would be interested in something, but many of those people are no longer available to me.
Sometimes the old knowledge has always been bad; we just didn't realize it.
* racism, sexism, etc.
* word pronunciations I guessed wrong from reading the words
Sometimes our old knowledge is still true; it's just that there's more available now.
* We still have HEB, Wheatsville Coop, and Whole Foods, but we also have Trader Joes (and an additional bigger Wheatsville down south).
* Newtonian physics still works for some things, but now there's more.
New Knowledge
Sometimes the thing we're learning is not actually new; we just make a discovery.
* Thrift stores have things I like. Sometimes even dollar stores do.
* Ten-year-old cars in reliable models are much better than 2-year-old cars in models with average reliability (they are cheaper to buy, cheaper to maintain, and more reliable).
* When I suck at learning something, I can still learn it; it just takes me a while. (I like the term "slow learner." I'm a slower learner at foreign languages and things that require gross motor coordination like volleyball, ultimate frisbee, and ballroom dance.)
* The magic of compound interest (and the anti-magic of inflation).
* You get a diagnosis for a condition you've had for a long time. (See the book The Best Practices Journal for a fascinating example of that.)
Sometimes our old knowledge is just wrong and we finally figure that out. Sometimes we were just mistaken or ignorant; sometimes we were blatently lied to. So we want to try to unlearn the garbage and learn the truth.
* Fats don't actually cause weight gain (even though they have more calories per unit of weight than carbs and proteins); simple sugars are what we should minimize
* untrue prejudices
Sometimes the world changes, and we need to change, too.
* The book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves taught me that even the grammar and usage rules we learned in school can change.
* Austin no longer has Liberty Lunch or Les Amis, but it does have Alamo Drafthouse and Trader Joes.
* Smart phones now exist and are ubiquitous.
* Campbell's tomato soup is no longer delicious. (I think they add a lot more sugar now than when I was a kid.)
* Austin has roundabouts now, including at one of the two main exits of my neighborhood
Sometimes you, yourself change.
* We get potty-trained. (Go, Charlotte, you can do it!)
* We're big enough to not need a car seat, high chair, etc.
* Menstruation starts or ends.
* We get sick or injured or traumatized.
* We develop or lose an allergy.
* We gain or lose a bunch of weight.
* Our hair changes.
* We become vegetarian (or make some other voluntary dietary change).
* We change our way of doing something else (more recycling, less plastic, more frugality, less debt, etc.)
* We get a degree or other certification.
Sometimes there's a big change in your close environment. Almost the entire list of things that can cause stress (both good and bad things) apply.
* We get married, divorced, or widowed.
* We have kids or our kids leave home.
* We enter a new roommate situation.
* We get a new job and/or lose an old one.
* We move to a new house/city/country.
I'm adding a new tag, called new_tricks, for when I discuss examples of this.
Old Knowledge
Sometimes knowledge goes bad by becoming untrue.
* I'm average height now. It no longer makes sense to refer to myself as short.
* Prices change. Back in my day, ...
Sometimes knowledge goes bad by losing some or all of its relevance.
* I know how to dial a rotary phone, carefully set the needle onto a record so it doesn't scratch, and rewind a tape when I'm done, but who cares?
* We still have other movie theatres, but I'm generally going to Alamo Drafthouse now when I can. (Except the South Lamar location; I hate that parking garage.)
* I often think of old friends who would be interested in something, but many of those people are no longer available to me.
Sometimes the old knowledge has always been bad; we just didn't realize it.
* racism, sexism, etc.
* word pronunciations I guessed wrong from reading the words
Sometimes our old knowledge is still true; it's just that there's more available now.
* We still have HEB, Wheatsville Coop, and Whole Foods, but we also have Trader Joes (and an additional bigger Wheatsville down south).
* Newtonian physics still works for some things, but now there's more.
New Knowledge
Sometimes the thing we're learning is not actually new; we just make a discovery.
* Thrift stores have things I like. Sometimes even dollar stores do.
* Ten-year-old cars in reliable models are much better than 2-year-old cars in models with average reliability (they are cheaper to buy, cheaper to maintain, and more reliable).
* When I suck at learning something, I can still learn it; it just takes me a while. (I like the term "slow learner." I'm a slower learner at foreign languages and things that require gross motor coordination like volleyball, ultimate frisbee, and ballroom dance.)
* The magic of compound interest (and the anti-magic of inflation).
* You get a diagnosis for a condition you've had for a long time. (See the book The Best Practices Journal for a fascinating example of that.)
Sometimes our old knowledge is just wrong and we finally figure that out. Sometimes we were just mistaken or ignorant; sometimes we were blatently lied to. So we want to try to unlearn the garbage and learn the truth.
* Fats don't actually cause weight gain (even though they have more calories per unit of weight than carbs and proteins); simple sugars are what we should minimize
* untrue prejudices
Sometimes the world changes, and we need to change, too.
* The book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves taught me that even the grammar and usage rules we learned in school can change.
* Austin no longer has Liberty Lunch or Les Amis, but it does have Alamo Drafthouse and Trader Joes.
* Smart phones now exist and are ubiquitous.
* Campbell's tomato soup is no longer delicious. (I think they add a lot more sugar now than when I was a kid.)
* Austin has roundabouts now, including at one of the two main exits of my neighborhood
Sometimes you, yourself change.
* We get potty-trained. (Go, Charlotte, you can do it!)
* We're big enough to not need a car seat, high chair, etc.
* Menstruation starts or ends.
* We get sick or injured or traumatized.
* We develop or lose an allergy.
* We gain or lose a bunch of weight.
* Our hair changes.
* We become vegetarian (or make some other voluntary dietary change).
* We change our way of doing something else (more recycling, less plastic, more frugality, less debt, etc.)
* We get a degree or other certification.
Sometimes there's a big change in your close environment. Almost the entire list of things that can cause stress (both good and bad things) apply.
* We get married, divorced, or widowed.
* We have kids or our kids leave home.
* We enter a new roommate situation.
* We get a new job and/or lose an old one.
* We move to a new house/city/country.
I'm adding a new tag, called new_tricks, for when I discuss examples of this.