Slowness Is a Virtue
18 hours ago
- #intelligence
- #research
- #innovation
- Slowness is a virtue in research, allowing exploration of uncharted territory and unexpected discoveries.
- Modern culture and academia prioritize fast, answerable questions, which hinders genuine research.
- Research involves pursuing goals without a clear map, unlike development which follows a predefined plan.
- Important discoveries often come from slow, persistent efforts, like Böttger's porcelain and Einstein's relativity.
- Intelligence tests measure speed in solving well-defined problems, missing the ability to choose meaningful problems.
- High IQ individuals often focus on solvable puzzles rather than groundbreaking research.
- The obsession with speed and legibility in institutions filters out slow thinkers and true innovators.
- Illegible, unfundable projects often lead to the most significant creative work but are socially and institutionally discouraged.
- Slow thinking allows patience with ambiguous problems, a strength often overlooked in fast-paced environments.