Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
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Notes -
I'm sure some variation of this question has been asked n number of times in LessWrong and associated forums, but eh.
IQ to some extent determines the ceiling of how much about a given thing you can learn. You can probably learn more with more time but ain't nobody got the time. And in fast-moving fields like software engineering or research academia, perhaps just learning what you need to for once isn't a sustainable strategy since there is a constant stream of new things you need to stay on top of.
However, how flexible is the limit for the number of things you can cram into your head? I'm pretty sure there is a ceiling as a function of IQ there as well, but probably much less utlizied than the former for most people?
For example, I am probably reaching the point of diminishing returns of how much ML I can learn per unit of time with whatsoever hardware I have in my head.. Maybe now its time to expand sidewards into backend engineering and other fields of software engineering?
Other than intellectual pursuits, I have also noticed that I can probably get good at very many different things and I am nowhere near having to tradeoff (other than time) skill from one domain to another. So maybe for most of us higher than average IQ but not genius people, if we want to be the most "rounded" individuals, that is the best path to take ? As opposed to single-mindedly sticking to one domain.
I've seen enough Youtube polyglots to be convinced that you can probably learn, if not an arbitrary number of languages, then certainly a large number without it 'crowding out' anything else. I suspect the same is true for physical skills, like playing instruments (loads of musicians can play multiple) and sports (or sport-like skills such as juggling).
I guess it depends how much time and energy you've got to spare.
Do keep in mind that our brains have specialised circuitry for language learning that it doesn’t have for say aerospace engineering or history trivia facts. Ideal language study methods are also very different compared to any other field of knowledge. So it’s not the best field to focus on when discussing this topic
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