Curse of Knowledge: How to Be an Approachable Genius 知识的诅咒：如何成为平易近人的天才

It took “great talent or skill to conceal one’s talent or skill,” the French moralist François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld once noted. As soon as we’ve reached a certain level of mastery, say in playing chess, it’s hard to act as if we knew little about the game of kings.
法国道德家弗朗索瓦六世(François VI,Duc de La Rochefoucaud)曾指出,“隐藏一个人的才华或技能需要巨大的才华或技能”。一旦我们掌握了一定的水平,比如说下棋,就很难表现得好像我们对国王的游戏一无所知。
That’s partly because it’s difficult to imagine what it was like when we were still steeped in ignorance. Even if that was just five minutes ago. Known as the Curse of Knowledge, this phenomenon speaks to the tragic burden mastery can be.
这部分是因为很难想象当我们还沉浸在无知中的时候是什么样子。即使那只是五分钟前。这一现象被称为内识诅咒,它说明了掌握可能带来的悲剧性负担。

The Curse of Knowledge is a cognitive bias that arises from having a greater understanding of a particular topic. It’s a phenomenon whereby those who possess more knowledge about a given subject find it difficult to relate to those with less familiarity.
内识诅咒是一种认知偏见,源于对某个特定话题的一种更深刻理解。这是一种现象,即那些对某一特定主题拥有更多知识的人发现很难与那些不太熟悉的人建立联系。
This can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication, and even conflict.

The concept goes back to a 1989 economics paper by Colin Camerer, George Loewenstein and Martin Weber. It has since been applied more broadly and I’m sure you’ve experienced it in one way or another. Think of something you’ve learned recently, something as mundane as basic chess moves.
这个概念可以追溯到1989年科林·卡默勒、乔治·洛温斯坦和马丁·韦伯的一篇经济学论文。从那以后,它得到了更广泛的应用,我相信你已经以这样或那样的方式体验过了。想一想你最近学过的东西,像国际象棋基本走法这样平凡的东西。
Once acquired, your knowledge has cursed you so to speak. The better you get the harder it is to imagine what not knowing basic chess was like.
一旦获得,你的知识就可以说是诅咒了你。你学得越好,就越难想象不知道基本的国际象棋是什么样子的。

This curse can affect any type of relationship, from personal to professional, and can have far-reaching consequences. It’s particularly fateful if it affects those whose job it is to impart their knowledge to others.
这种诅咒可以影响任何类型的关系,从个人到工作,并可能产生深远的影响。如果它影响到那些以传授知识为工作的人,那就更是致命的。
Imagine a math genius turned school teacher who’s forgotten what it was like not to understand basic algebra. Or a highly capable risk analyst who has a hard time enduring journalists failing basic probability.
想象一下,一个数学天才变成了学校老师,他忘记了不懂基本代数是什么感觉。或者是一个非常有能力的风险分析师,他很难忍受记者们连基本概率都做不到。

The consequences are not far to seek. Those with greater knowledge may be so focused on the details of the topic that they’re unable to explain the basics in a way that is accessible to those with less knowledge.
其后果不难预料。那些知识较多的人可能过于关注主题的细节,以至于他们无法以一种知识较少的人可以理解的方式解释基础知识。
At its core, the Curse of Knowledge is rooted in the inability of the knowledgeable to relate to those with less understanding.
就其核心而言,内识的诅咒根植于知识渊博者无法与那些理解较少者建立联系。

Especially masters in their field possess something akin to unconscious competence. Their expertise has become intuitive. They don’t think anymore. They just do. And it works. The downside of this level of mastery is the inability to teach others to do the same. This renders even the most skilled expert an ineffective teacher.
尤其是他们领域的大师们拥有某种类似于无意识能力的东西。他们的专业知识已经成为直觉。他们不再思考了。他们就是这样。而且很管用。这种掌握水平的不利之处在于无法教别人也这样做。这使得即使是最熟练的专家也成了一个效率低下的教师。
As a result, the more knowledgeable individual may come off as condescending or patronizing, even if that is not their intention.
因此,知识更渊博的人可能表现得居高临下或居高临下,即使这不是他们的本意。

This can lead to a breakdown in communication, resulting in frustration and confusion. The result is often a lack of trust, as the less knowledgeable party may feel that they’re being spoken down to or not taken seriously.
这会导致沟通的中断,导致挫折感和困惑。结果往往是缺乏信任,因为知识较少的一方可能会觉得他们被贬低或不认真对待。
In some cases, the Curse of Knowledge can even lead to resentment or animosity between the parties. The math teacher gets more and more frustrated with her students. The risk analyst lashes out on Twitter.
在某些情况下,内识诅咒甚至能导致双方之间的怨恨或敌意。数学老师对她的学生越来越失望。这位风险分析师在Twitter上猛烈抨击。

You may have experienced the damaging impact of the Curse of Knowledge in the workplace. For example, in a team setting, it can lead to a breakdown in communication and collaboration. This can lead to a lack of progress and inefficient decision-making.
你可能在工作场所经历过内识诅咒的破坏性影响。例如,在团队环境中,它可能导致沟通和协作的中断。这可能导致缺乏进展和决策效率低下。
Additionally, the fateful curse can cause feelings of alienation among those with less knowledge, leading to feelings of exclusion and low morale.
此外,这种致命的诅咒会使那些知识较少的人产生疏远感,导致被排斥感和士气低落。

Sounds gloomy, doesn’t it? The good news is that the Curse of Knowledge is preventable. Those who know more can take steps to make sure that their conversations with others remain clear and accessible. This includes avoiding jargon and being open to answering questions.
听起来很悲观,不是吗?好消息是,内识诅咒是可以预防的。那些知道得更多的人可以采取措施来确保他们与他人的对话保持清晰和可访问。这包括避免行话和开放地回答问题。

Those with greater knowledge can take steps to help bridge the gap to those with less knowledge. This can include offering resources and encouraging the ignorant to ask questions. Avoiding labelling the less knowledgeable ignorant helps, too. Additionally, those with greater knowledge can use their experience to mentor their peers and colleagues and help them develop their understanding. Learning to walk a mile in the shoes of the not-yet-cursed becomes a crucial meta-skill.
知识较多的人可以采取措施,帮助缩小与知识较少的人之间差距。这可以包括提供资源和鼓励无知者提出问题。避免给知识较少的人贴上无知的标签也有帮助。此外,那些拥有更多知识的人可以利用他们的经验指导他们的同龄人和同事,帮助他们发展自己的理解。学会穿着还没有被诅咒的鞋子走一英里成为一项至关重要的元技能。

In this regard, former CIA covert officer Andrew Bustamante makes the fascinating distinction between perception and perspective. The idea is to “get out of your own perception and into someone else’s perspective”. To make a conscious effort to picture what their life is like with all its emotions and problems.
在这方面,前中央情报局秘密官员安德鲁布斯塔曼特作出了迷人的区别感知和观点。这个想法是“走出你自己的认知,进入别人的视角”。有意识地努力描绘他们的生活是什么样的,包括所有的情感和问题。
This gives us a better chance of knowing where the person we’re trying to impart knowledge to is coming from.
这给了我们一个更好的机会去了解我们试图传授知识的人是从哪里来的。

But it’s also how we acquire new knowledge that can play a role in averting the Curse of Knowledge. Richard Feynman is widely considered one of history’s greatest and most influential theoretical physicists. But he was also intellectually humble.
但这也是我们获取新知识的方式,这些新知识可以在避免知识诅咒方面发挥作用。理查德·费曼被广泛认为是历史上最伟大和最有影响力的理论物理学家之一。但他在智力上也很谦逊。
He knew how to communicate to laymen in a non-patronising way. One of the keys to his success and attitude seems to have been the so-called Feynman Technique.
他知道如何以一种非居高临下的方式与外行人交流。他的成功和态度的关键之一似乎是所谓的费曼技术。

The Feynman Technique is a method that promotes learning through teaching and simplicity. It starts with a blank sheet of paper. As we study a new subject, we write down anything we learn. Next, we attempt to teach what we’ve learned to someone less knowledgeable.
费曼技巧是一种通过教学和简单化来促进学习的方法。从一张白纸开始。当我们学习一门新学科时,我们把学到的东西都写下来。接下来,我们试图把我们学到的东西教给知识较少的人。
The idea is to fill the knowledge gaps our teaching exercise and student questions reveal to us. All while we make further attempts at explaining what we’ve learned in the simplest terms possible.
这个想法是为了填补我们的教学实践和学生的问题揭示给我们的知识空白。与此同时,我们会进一步尝试用尽可能简单的语言来解释我们所学到的东西。

Feynman’s way of learning not only prompts us to understand instead of memorise. Relating to layman also becomes part of the process of acquiring new knowledge. It continuously forces us out of our bubble of expertise.
费曼的学习方式不仅促使我们去理解而不是去记忆。与门外汉交往也成为获取新知识过程的一部分。它不断地迫使我们走出专业知识的泡沫。
To see the world through beginners’ eyes and communicate ideas accordingly. And if you want to take the method to the next level and think even more like a teacher, check out my essay about the Feynman Technique 2.0.
以初学者的眼光看世界,并相应地交流思想。如果你想把这个方法提升到一个新的层次,想得更像一个老师,看看我关于费曼技术2.0的文章。

The Curse of Knowledge is an important concept to be aware of, as it can lead to misunderstandings and, in some cases, conflict. Fortunately, it’s a phenomenon that can be avoided by taking the necessary steps to ensure that conversations remain clear and accessible.
内识诅咒是一个需要觉知的重要概念,因为它可能导致误解,在某些情况下,甚至冲突。幸运的是,这种现象可以通过采取必要的措施来避免,以确保对话保持清晰和可访问性。

It’s possible to bridge the gap between those with greater knowledge and those who know less. This requires a combination of intellectual humility and empathy. Once we’ve mastered this level of approachability, there’s no need to conceal our talent or skill.
弥合知识渊博者和知识贫乏者之间差距是可能的,这需要知识上的谦逊和同理心的结合。一旦我们掌握了这种程度的平易近人,就没有必要隐藏自己的天赋或技能。

Tags Education, Psychology, Wisdom