While it’s important to remain incredulous and humble in realizing what you don’t know in science (or the world at large), what you do know is also more than you’ll likely give yourself credit for. Am not talking about false confidence which is both annoying and useless. /1
Best way to understand this is via a conversation with someone asking for some help. You may think you can’t possibly add anything but you’re wrong. The act of someone asking questions causes you to think differently, to piece together answers you may not have thought about. /2
The point is, as you sit staring at a blank grant application, that you are not the sole means to tap and hone your ideas. In discussing problems with others, they’ll come up with questions you haven’t. Our minds are not necessarily organized to seek from within. /3
Of course, reading and listening is key to learning new things, but that’s always more effective if 2-way, with dialogue. And one-way accumulation of information can be paralyzing. There really can be TMI that obscures clarity - partly because data is always incomplete/flawed. /4
Read this article on @OdedRechavi - esp. the story of the genesis of the Dead Sea Scrolls DNA sequencing project. Wouldn’t have happened without a chance encounter, despite the depth of knowledge of both protagonists. technologynetworks.com/genomics/artic… /5
So it’s important to realize that you have built your own unique perspectives, no matter your career stage, and to understand that outside input from talking to others helps you in organizing and refining your own ideas. Find those personal interactions - it’s mutual good /6
Discard the notion of the lone genius. They’re rare and most often are standing on/exploiting hidden shoulders. Creativity is hard, can’t be forced and will fizzle when deprived of the exercise of sharing thoughts.
Happy Labour Day weekend to those writing grants. /end
Happy Labour Day weekend to those writing grants. /end
