"It doesn't make one stupid to hear again what one already knows." A student of Chandrasekhar (Steve Detweiler) reported that Chandra used to say that, in the context of boring lectures. It's a counsel of patience, even in situations when the new information content seems low. Hearing again can be an opportunity to think more thoroughly about a subject, and perhaps get new insights. It may turn out that what seemed redundant and too obvious for words is actually different, in subtle or not-so-subtle ways. Questioning root assumptions, especially along paths which seem well trod, can lead to discovery....
Friday, April 23, 1999 at 06:40:07 (EDT) = 1999-04-23
(correlates: LatePhysicists, UproariousAmateurishness, UntutoredVoice, ...)