Can a Non-Academic Still Navigate the Complex World of Science?

[Paul rogers]

Hi,

I am Paul.

its all still a little "Alice in wonderland" for me at the moment,one minuet i`m chasing rainbows lol or more specifically,the dimensions of a photon,so,i hit an article on google,as you do, and bang am now here.i read quiet a few pages of posts from people on the particular subject i was looking into this evening,i believe it to be right to share my first thoughts and feeling on what i discovered.which is pretty much an overwhelming sadness.

quiet a few of the post where more inclined towards the need to assert the posters credentials,there was even quiet a lengthy post "dictating" that an individual can "only" understand some thing by attending a university and so he/she can receive an education enabling them to...well do some thing.

i am 47 3/4 years old,just over 17 years ago i roughly learned to spell, so i could write my address and pay bill`s like tax`s and stuff, just like "everybody" else that lives in our type of society i suppose. i have no academic qualifications what so ever,not a GCSE or even managed an A in a class room test.i have read less than ten books from cover to cover, five of them where fiction oh and numbers are harder for me grasp than letters.

i am litatary that 5...6 year old child that that old crazy haired German guy told you about,,

well ok he might not have actually told "you" but he did mention it.

i propose a barter (and maybe even a little friendly banter?) who knows?...

my friendship and ignorance for some of your friendship and a little knowledge that is normally unobtainable to men like i...

Regards,

Respect,

Paul.

 

[jedishrfu]

Welcome to PF!

Please take some time to read our site rules and please be aware that our mission is to help students and others interested in learning mainstream science and math concepts. We don't dwell on personal theories and speculative science as these topics tend to confuse students trying to learn STEM subjects.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/physics-forums-global-guidelines.414380/

 

[Mark44]

quiet a few of the post where more inclined towards the need to assert the posters credentials,there was even quiet a lengthy post "dictating" that an individual can "only" understand some thing by attending a university and so he/she can receive an education enabling them to...well do some thing.

Enabling them to, well, understand very complex ideas. I'm inclined to agree that for the majority of people, some concepts can only be understood by studying them in university classes. Of course, there is a very small minority of people who have the background and intellectual abilities to grapple with such ideas in self-study, but either way, reaching a point of understanding complex physical phenomena takes years of study.

When you mention "dimensions of a photon" that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

 

[berkeman]

Hi,

I am Paul.

its all still a little "Alice in wonderland" for me at the moment,one minuet i`m chasing rainbows lol or more specifically,the dimensions of a photon,so,i hit an article on google,as you do, and bang am now here.i read quiet a few pages of posts from people on the particular subject i was looking into this evening,i believe it to be right to share my first thoughts and feeling on what i discovered.which is pretty much an overwhelming sadness.

quiet a few of the post where more inclined towards the need to assert the posters credentials,there was even quiet a lengthy post "dictating" that an individual can "only" understand some thing by attending a university and so he/she can receive an education enabling them to...well do some thing.

i am 47 3/4 years old,just over 17 years ago i roughly learned to spell, so i could write my address and pay bill`s like tax`s and stuff, just like "everybody" else that lives in our type of society i suppose. i have no academic qualifications what so ever,not a GCSE or even managed an A in a class room test.i have read less than ten books from cover to cover, five of them where fiction oh and numbers are harder for me grasp than letters.

i am litatary that 5...6 year old child that that old crazy haired German guy told you about,,

well ok he might not have actually told "you" but he did mention it.

i propose a barter (and maybe even a little friendly banter?) who knows?...

my friendship and ignorance for some of your friendship and a little knowledge that is normally unobtainable to men like i...

Regards,

Respect,

Paul.

Welcome to the PF, Paul.

I think you will find the PF a wonderful place to learn about new things. We do a good job of keeping the posts focused on real, mainstream science, so that folks like you can learn from the posts.

Please feel free to start a Private Conversation with me if you have any questions about the PF, or any questions about how to post well here. We are happy to help people who would like to learn more about mainstream science. You can start a Conversation with me by clicking on my username "berkeman" and clicking on Start a Conversation.