Do you think we have a limit to how much we can learn?

[oiprocs]

"Some people get it, some people don't"
"It doesn't matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to do it"
"I just wasn't born that way"


My dad and I were discussing the ability of an individual to learn any given topic, and we came out to different points on the spectrum. I tend to feel that we all have our limitations, and there are some areas in which we will not be able to excel in. Conversely, I think we all have some areas where we don't have to try hard at all, and still do much better than others who work their tails off.

My dad firmly stands by the thought that as long as you put in enough hours and really focus, you can master any subject at hand, or master any task at hand. I asked him if that would apply to being a star basketball player, if putting in enough hours would one day rise you to an NBA level, and he wavered a bit, but decided that enough work could get you there.

 

[KLin]

If Rudy Reuttiger can play football for Notre Dame, then anyone can!!

 

[theflyingpig]

No, some people are just stupid.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: oiprocs
"Some people get it, some people don't"
"It doesn't matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to do it"
"I just wasn't born that way"


My dad and I were discussing the ability of an individual to learn any given topic, and we came out to different points on the spectrum. I tend to feel that we all have our limitations, and there are some areas in which we will not be able to excel in. Conversely, I think we all have some areas where we don't have to try hard at all, and still do much better than others who work their tails off.

My dad firmly stands by the thought that as long as you put in enough hours and really focus, you can master any subject at hand, or master any task at hand. I asked him if that would apply to being a star basketball player, if putting in enough hours would one day rise you to an NBA level, and he wavered a bit, but decided that enough work could get you there.

There are physical limitations. Theoretically, even if you are 4' tall, you could play in the NBA and become successful. You would need other advantages, however, to overcome the limitation that height imposes. Experience (practice, practice, practice) could enable someone to do so, but realistically time is another limiting factor. A person can achieve a lot, but not everything is probable for every individual.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: oiprocs
"Some people get it, some people don't"
"It doesn't matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to do it"
"I just wasn't born that way"


My dad and I were discussing the ability of an individual to learn any given topic, and we came out to different points on the spectrum. I tend to feel that we all have our limitations, and there are some areas in which we will not be able to excel in. Conversely, I think we all have some areas where we don't have to try hard at all, and still do much better than others who work their tails off.

My dad firmly stands by the thought that as long as you put in enough hours and really focus, you can master any subject at hand, or master any task at hand. I asked him if that would apply to being a star basketball player, if putting in enough hours would one day rise you to an NBA level, and he wavered a bit, but decided that enough work could get you there.

There are physical limitations. Theoretically, even if you are 4' tall, you could play in the NBA and become successful. You would need other advantages, however, to overcome the limitation that height imposes. Experience (practice, practice, practice) could enable someone to do so, but realistically time is another limiting factor. A person can achieve a lot, but not everything is probable for every individual.

Okay, I see complete validity in that point.

Are we then left to believe that there are no intellectual limitations?

 

[Kadarin]

I suspect there are a maximum number of neural interconnects that can be made within one human brain, which would logically posit some kind of boundary on the amount of knowledge one unaided person can "know". However, I think that before too long, we will be able to bypass that limitation by somehow augmenting the brain with external storage and computational devices that can be used by mental effort.

 

[caspur]

Nature optimizes different people for different tasks. So black people have an advantage at basketball or physical sports at the cost of being slower to learn math or science. In D&D terms, it like assigning points to attributes. So it takes more points to level up on skills that are not natural to that specific race or class.

Look at China, for a billion people they haven't produced 1 Lebron or Jordan equal. They have a bunch of 7 footers that are pretty good, but due to race/class limitations, they aren't able to level up any dominant point guards.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: oiprocs
Okay, I see complete validity in that point.

Are we then left to believe that there are no intellectual limitations?

Intellectual limitations are physical limitations. Someone with a low IQ or poor memory could become the greatest physicist of all time, but time comes into play. The actions of other people, nature, etc. all determine the amount of time and access to necessary resources to achieve that goal, as well. Every person has a finite amount of time and resources in his or her lifetime, and it is impossible for any person to achieve all of his or her goals. Sometimes it is impossible to achieve one goal. It all depends on time and resources.

The human will cannot overcome everything. Yes, we often make or hear the statement that "you can do anything you put your mind to", but that "anything" is not unconditional. There are many things that are impossible for man.

 

[theflyingpig]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: oiprocs
Okay, I see complete validity in that point.

Are we then left to believe that there are no intellectual limitations?

Intellectual limitations are physical limitations. Someone with a low IQ or poor memory could become the greatest physicist of all time, but time comes into play. The actions of other people, nature, etc. all determine the amount of time and access to necessary resources to achieve that goal, as well. Every person has a finite amount of time and resources in his or her lifetime, and it is impossible for any person to achieve all of his or her goals. Sometimes it is impossible to achieve one goal. It all depends on time and resources.

How's Lavos doing? Well, I hope.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: caspur
Nature optimizes different people for different tasks. So black people have an advantage at basketball or physical sports at the cost of being slower to learn math or science. In D&D terms, it like assigning points to attributes. So it takes more points to level up on skills that are not natural to that specific race or class.

Look at China, for a billion people they haven't produced 1 Lebron or Jordan equal. They have a bunch of 7 footers that are pretty good, but due to race/class limitations, they aren't able to level up any dominant point guards.

So you're agreeing that everyone has limitations? (Or more skill points in some areas than others.)

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: theflyingpig

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: oiprocs
Okay, I see complete validity in that point.

Are we then left to believe that there are no intellectual limitations?

Intellectual limitations are physical limitations. Someone with a low IQ or poor memory could become the greatest physicist of all time, but time comes into play. The actions of other people, nature, etc. all determine the amount of time and access to necessary resources to achieve that goal, as well. Every person has a finite amount of time and resources in his or her lifetime, and it is impossible for any person to achieve all of his or her goals. Sometimes it is impossible to achieve one goal. It all depends on time and resources.

How's Lavos doing? Well, I hope.

I almost didn't contribute to taking him down, but someone lent me some time

 

[Rubycon]

No metric exists today to provide a faithful result. Nothing is infinite either.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: caspur
Nature optimizes different people for different tasks. So black people have an advantage at basketball or physical sports at the cost of being slower to learn math or science. In D&D terms, it like assigning points to attributes. So it takes more points to level up on skills that are not natural to that specific race or class.

Look at China, for a billion people they haven't produced 1 Lebron or Jordan equal. They have a bunch of 7 footers that are pretty good, but due to race/class limitations, they aren't able to level up any dominant point guards.

That's because of social reasons, not skill point inferiority. They have a billion people, but no where near as much exposure to basketball as us Americans. Given time and greater exposure, I'm sure we would see more stars from there. It's not exactly a piece of cake to come from another country and play here, either.

There are minor differences physically between the "races", but not like in RPGs. Individuals vary in natural physical ability, yes, but not so much between the races. And any minute advantage a race may have is counterbalanced by a suceptability to genetic disorders, such that no one ethnic group is superior to another. Chinese people aren't smarter than black people.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Caspur explains it very well, it comes down to is aptitude and time. And even that might be malleable. I would just add one thing more thing, with certain abnormal mental dysfunctions it might not be possible for someone to accomplish certain tasks. This is analogous to asking a one armed man to row a canoe. The ability simply is not there, and with out some type of technology to make up for it, the person is simply not able to do it.
We see this with some types of extremely low intelligence. There is certain types of abstract thinking they are simply not capably us, and no matter how good a teacher they have, or the amount of practice they get, they simply can not do it.
So in that reguard, then yes there is some people that simply can not accomplish some things.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: oiprocs

Originally posted by: caspur
Nature optimizes different people for different tasks. So black people have an advantage at basketball or physical sports at the cost of being slower to learn math or science. In D&D terms, it like assigning points to attributes. So it takes more points to level up on skills that are not natural to that specific race or class.

Look at China, for a billion people they haven't produced 1 Lebron or Jordan equal. They have a bunch of 7 footers that are pretty good, but due to race/class limitations, they aren't able to level up any dominant point guards.

So you're agreeing that everyone has limitations? (Or more skill points in some areas than others.)

Everyone has limitations, but no one really knows the extent of a person's limitations at birth, except God. There's no chart showing exactly how much time you have to live, how much money you will earn, what challenges you will face, or what you are fully capable of.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: caspur
Nature optimizes different people for different tasks. So black people have an advantage at basketball or physical sports at the cost of being slower to learn math or science. In D&D terms, it like assigning points to attributes. So it takes more points to level up on skills that are not natural to that specific race or class.

Look at China, for a billion people they haven't produced 1 Lebron or Jordan equal. They have a bunch of 7 footers that are pretty good, but due to race/class limitations, they aren't able to level up any dominant point guards.

That's because of social reasons, not skill point inferiority. They have a billion people, but no where near as much exposure to basketball as us Americans. Given time and greater exposure, I'm sure we would see more stars from there. It's not exactly a piece of cake to come from another country and play here, either.

There are minor differences physically between the "races", but not like in RPGs. Individuals vary in natural physical ability, yes, but not so much between the races. And any minute advantage a race may have is counterbalanced by a suceptability to genetic disorders, such that no one ethnic group is superior to another. Chinese people aren't smarter than black people.

And lets not forget how much culture contributes. We see so many black basketball players not because they are naturally better at it, but because they culturally put a greater emphasis on it. There are simply more amateur black basketball players then there are amateur chinese basketball players, and being really good at basketball in the black community gets you more notice then in the chinese community.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Only if your Kelly Bundy.

And if anyone gets that reference, Kudos.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: soxfan
Only if your Kelly Bundy.

And if anyone gets that reference, Kudos.

Is that a specific MWC reference or just in general to Kelly's dumbness? I think she was a genius until a car accident as a child, IIRC.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Originally posted by: oiprocs

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: oiprocs
"Some people get it, some people don't"
"It doesn't matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to do it"
"I just wasn't born that way"


My dad and I were discussing the ability of an individual to learn any given topic, and we came out to different points on the spectrum. I tend to feel that we all have our limitations, and there are some areas in which we will not be able to excel in. Conversely, I think we all have some areas where we don't have to try hard at all, and still do much better than others who work their tails off.

My dad firmly stands by the thought that as long as you put in enough hours and really focus, you can master any subject at hand, or master any task at hand. I asked him if that would apply to being a star basketball player, if putting in enough hours would one day rise you to an NBA level, and he wavered a bit, but decided that enough work could get you there.

There are physical limitations. Theoretically, even if you are 4' tall, you could play in the NBA and become successful. You would need other advantages, however, to overcome the limitation that height imposes. Experience (practice, practice, practice) could enable someone to do so, but realistically time is another limiting factor. A person can achieve a lot, but not everything is probable for every individual.

Okay, I see complete validity in that point.

Are we then left to believe that there are no intellectual limitations?

Not to be crude, but try to teach a retarded person calculus and see where it gets you. You could have them concentrate for days on end and they would probably never get it.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: soxfan
Only if your Kelly Bundy.

And if anyone gets that reference, Kudos.

Is that a specific MWC reference or just in general to Kelly's dumbness? I think she was a genius until a car accident as a child, IIRC.

Specific. There is an entire episode devoted to her brain becoming so full that everytime she absorbs a new idea, she forgets one that she previously knew.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: soxfan

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: soxfan
Only if your Kelly Bundy.

And if anyone gets that reference, Kudos.

Is that a specific MWC reference or just in general to Kelly's dumbness? I think she was a genius until a car accident as a child, IIRC.

Specific. There is an entire episode devoted to her brain becoming so full that everytime she absorbs a new idea, she forgets one that she previously knew.

Oh lol, I remember that

In: Doctor J
Out: Shampoo, rinse, repeat
In: 802 goals
Out: (Picture of Garfield)
In: Immaculate reception
Out: Dinner first, then sex
In: Helsinki, 1952
Out: (Pictures of Gilligan and Skipper)
In: Kentucky Derby
Out: Just say know
In: Arthur Ashe
Out: E=MC squared
In: Fearsome Foursome
Out: Buck and Seven

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: soxfan
Only if your Kelly Bundy.

And if anyone gets that reference, Kudos.

Is that a specific MWC reference or just in general to Kelly's dumbness? I think she was a genius until a car accident as a child, IIRC.

*warning warning*
*derailing into babe thread imminent*
*initiate evasive manuevers*

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
No metric exists today to provide a faithful result. Nothing is infinite either.

This.

But I do believe human's have the ability to constantly learn. I just think that the mind keeps a "cache" of commonly used knowledge, and starts discarding the less used knowledge to make room for new stuff when it runs close to it's limit.

With that being said I believe we can store a ton of information....

 

[CRXican]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: soxfan

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: soxfan
Only if your Kelly Bundy.

And if anyone gets that reference, Kudos.

Is that a specific MWC reference or just in general to Kelly's dumbness? I think she was a genius until a car accident as a child, IIRC.

Specific. There is an entire episode devoted to her brain becoming so full that everytime she absorbs a new idea, she forgets one that she previously knew.

Oh lol, I remember that

In: Doctor J
Out: Shampoo, rinse, repeat
In: 802 goals
Out: (Picture of Garfield)
In: Immaculate reception
Out: Dinner first, then sex
In: Helsinki, 1952
Out: (Pictures of Gilligan and Skipper)
In: Kentucky Derby
Out: Just say know
In: Arthur Ashe
Out: E=MC squared
In: Fearsome Foursome
Out: Buck and Seven

classic LOL