Just a thought

**Aldaris** · 02-03-2023, 01:10 AM

Imagine you have a bunch of students and you have to choose who is gonna represent your work.

Then you make no difference between the second best of the bunch and the worst one. You can choose only one and the choice is obvious. And final.

Doesn't matter if you are the second or the last.

It is an analogy, but I hope it's clear. Poke holes in that as I'm bored.

**Anglo-Celtic** · 02-03-2023, 01:14 AM

Forget the students. I'll represent my own work.

**Aldaris** · 02-03-2023, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by Anglo-Celtic

Forget the students. I'll represent my own work.

I'd rather leave that to them, given a chance. But the actual point is elsewhere.

**Atlantic Reptilian** · 02-04-2023, 03:43 AM

Sorry, but can you elaborate a bit more? I don't understand what your are trying to point out, with your analogy?

**Celestia** · 02-04-2023, 03:51 AM

The 1% is representing the “whole”. At least that is how I interpreted it.

**Laredo** · 02-04-2023, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by Anglo-Celtic

Forget the students. I'll represent my own work.

IQ 1000 here

**Aldaris** · 02-05-2023, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by Atlantic Reptilian

Sorry, but can you elaborate a bit more? I don't understand what your are trying to point out, with your analogy?

Yes, of course I can elaborate. See, the 'academic' in my analogy is a woman who gets to choose a man, the 'student'. Then there is no difference if you're just a step behind the best or whether you're the last. What I didn't mention in the original post is that it's only theoretical. In practice, it works differently of course. Back to the analogy. See even if you are good at something, but you're not the very best, it ultimately makes you no better than anyone else. Sounds like a contradiction, but think about it.

Maybe the example would be better. I've talked to my brother's girlfriend once and she told me about her celebrity crush. Won't lie, I was appaled by that, but I didn't tell him anything, since I knew it would cause a serious trouble. He is a man of honor and he would not tolerate that. And I didn't want to shatter his family.

**Aldaris** · 02-05-2023, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by Celestia

The 1% is representing the “whole”. At least that is how I interpreted it.

Basically yes, I think you get it.

**SouthDutch7991** · 02-05-2023, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by Aldaris

Imagine you have a bunch of students and you have to choose who is gonna represent your work.

Then you make no difference between the second best of the bunch and the worst one. You can choose only one and the choice is obvious. And final.

Doesn't matter if you are the second or the last.

It is an analogy, but I hope it's clear. Poke holes in that as I'm bored.

I's choose the statistical median scorer, because the high scorer might not be indicative of my own teaching quality, same for exceptionally bad outliers. That would motivate me to be as good as possible so that the real reflective, average student is still good enough

**SouthDutch7991** · 02-05-2023, 08:36 PM

Oh, but as for the analogy. I think people will find that in the real world it's a lot more complicated than that. Ultimately you need someone you can get along with day to day, and pretty looks will sour for you real fast if you can't stand the way they live at home.