Quote:Unfortunately, it seems that Einstein's intent has failed to impress upon our generation.The context behind this statement of his has long been forgotten and what remains is just what we see now. To some extent I do agree that simple solutions are usually the best but we do tend to forget the latter part of his quote "not any simpler"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.Einstein, Albert
So the pertinent question is how do we know when we have reached the limit of simplicity and should not go further even if its possible to do so? And why did Einstein even put this clause in? Shouldnt everything just get better the simpler we can make it?
I think that what he was probably implying was that we should not simplify anything to a point where it loses its very essence. He was looking at Grand Unification and wanted to find an all encompassing logic that would explain all the known forces in nature. It would have simplified Physics, yes, but would it have made it so simple that a layman would understand it? NO. To appreciate the implications of such a theory, a person first needs to understand why it is needed in the first place. If it became so simple that it could be explained to a child, it would in some sense lose its significance.
Our generation somehow seems to not understand this concept. I remember having a spirited discussion a few years ago with one of my colleagues regarding the functionality of a software tool that I developed for my project. I was of the view that the tools purpose was to take out the monotony of repetitive tasks and hence improve productivity while still requiring that the person using the tool retain the knowledge of why and what is being done. My colleague on the other hand was of the view that the tool should be so enhanced that it would automate the entire task itself so that the person using it would not need to use any higher brain function. I disagreed then and I disagree now. I will not be held accountable for supporting mediocrity and taking the fun and talent out of doing a job.
Unfortunately, I see the same attitude running rampant across our lives. We now have modern art for instance. I dont understand it so I may get a few brickbats here but I honestly do not see why a few random splashes and brush strokes are awe inducing. Some of these look like scribblings of a child. It may be good to go ga ga over such a painting made by a retarded Chimpanzee but by a full grown human? Come on!!
What has happened is that we have reduced art to a level such that "anyone" can do it! Its so simple, right? WRONG!!!!
Another instance is modern hobbies. A hobby used to mean a passion, something that would not really be a value add in ones life but a pure indulgent diversion. One that stimulated ones mind and/or physical being. People collected stamps, coins, read books, studied the arts and sciences, did gardening etc. All these involved some amount of understanding the relevant domain and over time some even ended up becoming experts in those fields. And now we have hobbies such as Photography!! Photography is a fantastic hobby and the "real" photographers I know have traveled to locations just to take a photo, have waited for hours for the sunset or sunrise to capture a single snapshot and have cried over a botched reel.What we have now for the most part is a bunch of wannabes with expensive equipment. A digital camera and Photoshop, take 100 snaps and atleast one will turn out good, then go and make it black and white with the click of a button and voila, we have a Photographer!!
One more I have seen is the achievements and talents people list on their resumes. Till a few years ago, a talent meant something that you could do better than average. Now talent means the ability to do something along with a few others. There is no individual sense of accomplishment, no striving for perfection, no goal to achieve. A talent such as drawing, singing, dancing, mimicry etc all entail some amount of practice, dedication
and hard work. What we have now as achievement is "Took part in Fashion Show". In short, I wore clothes and I walked. The only achievement here being the fact it takes some guts to walk up on a ramp with 100's staring. Not bad as a dare but a talent? Seriously?
We really need to take a step back and see where we are headed for the future if this trend continues. One of the downsides of modern living is that we are relying more and more on external devices to supplement our capabilities. Now, don't get me wrong, using a tractor instead of a couple of cows to plough the field is a good idea. In fact anything that cuts down of the amount of time and effort spent on a task is a good thing. What is dangerous is the tendency to use devices that limit the functioning of the human mind, the mind that distinguishes us from the animals in the first place.
Quote: Lets make our lives Simple, not our brains!! Samrat Bhattacharjee
