I remember sometimes thinking my parents, and some of my teachers, were idiots, more because they'd often speak things as truth without really checking to see if what they said could be verified.
I remember a particular elementary school teacher in grade 2 declare with absolute authority and certainty that there were no such things as negative numbers. Her very next sentence declared the outdoor temperature to be -15 degrees Fahrenheit. She didn't catch the irony.
I began to notice how certain people tended to speak in absolutes when clear evidence contradicted their statement, eg. "That road is always blocked," when it was well known that very person drove that road multiple times in the prior week. It seemed to me that wise people would use nuance & conditionals to communicate more effectively although I was too young to express that thought coherently.
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Date: 2011-02-14 06:18 pm (UTC)I remember a particular elementary school teacher in grade 2 declare with absolute authority and certainty that there were no such things as negative numbers. Her very next sentence declared the outdoor temperature to be -15 degrees Fahrenheit. She didn't catch the irony.
I began to notice how certain people tended to speak in absolutes when clear evidence contradicted their statement, eg. "That road is always blocked," when it was well known that very person drove that road multiple times in the prior week. It seemed to me that wise people would use nuance & conditionals to communicate more effectively although I was too young to express that thought coherently.