In my last blog post, I discussed how it’s easy to confuse information with knowledge, the basis on which people decide how to act.
I wrote about the recent finding that our brains can only develop new knowledge at only 10 bits per second, not much more than 10 words per minute.
I suggested keeping important written messages to 100 words if possible, because most people will not spend enough time on any one message to absorb more.
However, there’s another barrier that interferes with understanding written messages. Unlike the recent neurological research I wrote about in the last blog post, Socrates told us about this around 2,500 years ago.
Plato (our only source) wrote:
Then it shows great folly to suppose that one can transmit or acquire clear and certain knowledge of an art through the medium of writing, or that written words can do more than remind the reader of what he already knows on any given subject.
Words, he said, “cannot distinguish between suitable and unsuitable readers”, in other words, readers who will misunderstand because of the mistaken knowledge they have already in their minds.
We found smart engineers who, without necessarily realising it, have already figured this out. After explaining what needs to be done, they ask others to talk about their plans and intentions, and in doing so reveal misunderstandings that could lead to delays or disaster.
Tell me if this resonates with your own experience.
Reference
Hamilton, W. (1973). Socrates, in Plato: Phaedrus & Letters Vii And Viii (W. Hamilton, Trans.). Harmondsworth: Penguin.
PS: Taylor and Francis have asked me to start work on a second edition of The Making of an Expert Engineer. If you have read the book, I would love to receive suggestions for the 2nd edition.
Photo: My own, University of Western Australia, Winthrop Hall
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