Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> I mean, how many more reddit posts about the "evil" Federal Reserve or how terrible of a person Thomas Edison was do we need?

Is that rebellion or groupthink? Either way, yes, most of it probably is useless.

But what about the rebelliousness that brought about the hyperlink, the mouse, and the iPhone? Surely those inventions were rooted in questions that sought rebellion against established ways of doing things?

There's a time to rebel and a time to conform. Rebellion without conformity leads to thinkers who have great ideas but no output. Conformity without rebellion leads to complacency and no progress.

As with everything else, one needs balance.



>But what about the rebelliousness that brought about the hyperlink, the mouse, and the iPhone?

Are those really rebellions? TBL was a pretty milquetoast guy who built on top of a lot of things before him: TCP/IP, server OS, interconnected networks, and of course text-based predecessors to the web like Archie. He didn't wear all black and call everyone an idiot and magically produce something wonderful. He stood on the shoulders of giants and reached a little further.


Do you need to be a black-wearing, idiot-calling rebel in order to be a creative genius?

Of course not.

But you need to observe reality, question it, and then act on your question. That's it. Milquetoast guys can do it too.


> Is that rebellion or groupthink?

It's groupthink, because if you ask why, then try to answer the question you'll soon come to understand that it is actually a really good institution for the economy, and not the opposite.


> As with everything else, one needs balance.

Does balance come from dismissing the other side of the argument as "probably useless"?


I was calling 'reddit posts about the "evil" Federal Reserve or how terrible of a person Thomas Edison' probably useless, not the entire other side of the argument.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: