You Are Not Everyone

There are two aspects to YouAreNotEveryone:

Could this be an instance of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_projection_fallacy ?

First, it is very dangerous to extrapolate your personal preferences to the general public (for example, when designing a UserInterface). If you are a programmer, it is well nigh impossible for you to do so, because the skills that make a good programmer are present in a small percentage of the population; so, you are not representative of the general public. (See MyersBriggs type indicator test.)

The second aspect is the sincere belief that "The World Would Be a Better Place If Everyone X", where X is something you enjoy. This is extremely commonplace; among programmer types X = "studied math and science extensively." However what people need to realize is that everyone thinks this, but their X is different from yours. You might want everyone else to devote their time and energy to your X, but are you willing to do the same for theirs?

Of course not. If their X is different than my X then they need to get their priorities straight!

I was going to write "you are wrong, I really am everyone!" but I realized this was an oxymoron since the first word. --GabrieleRenzi

Unless you're talking to yourself.

Neither are you, so don't presume to think that Everyone doesn't think the same as me..

We've changed our mind about this. -- EveryOne

I agree with the idea expressed by the title of this page! I am an individual and I am different. I do not want anyone else to be like me, nor do I intend to be like anyone else. But it seems this page is hinting that I can not "think" as if I am in another's shoes. This I also agree with, but when we make stuff for others to use, we must anticipate, or estimate how someone else might use, or want to use what we have made. (I use we here, because I cannot think of anything I have made all by myself! It has always taken something or someone else to do, or to make anything. (We usually use "tools" to make stuff)). What I can do is "guess" as to whether something I might think useful to be made, could ever be useful for another. It is often true that people tend to come to agreement about usefulness by beginning to use some of the same things. I have made several things that no one else has ever used, and may never use. That does not mean that these things "can not" or "would not" be used by someone, if they had access to them.

I perhaps should in addition to the exercise of "ThinkingOutLoud", add to this "DoingOutLoud". This would mean exposing in an open area the "works" I find "useful" with the idea that either someone else might find them useful or can make them useful for "many" (note I did not say "Everyone"). It is because we are individuals that we choose different approaches to solve issues or problems. --ThinkingOutLoud.DonaldNoyes.20130521

A related point is that you are a member of the set 'everyone'. Most likely, you are not exceptional, and your way of thinking is not unique or even unusual. People are similar in many more ways than they are different. Our brains use the same physiological mechanisms to gather and process information. If we weren't highly evolved to do so we'd have difficulty even distinguishing one another's faces (there is little else in this world that humans distinguish as well and subtly as human faces). Even our experiences are similar; even across cultures we have the same issues of theft and violence and song and dance and alcohol. We focus on differences, but we shouldn't lose sight of the similarities, nor think ourselves above or apart from everyone.

Re: Could this be an instance of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_projection_fallacy ?

Isn't everybody subject to the mind projection fallacy? Our WetWare has to pre-process info before our cognitive side can process it, and it's generally a lossy and imperfect translation.

[Oy. The comment about nerd bickering may just be applicable here, particularly if You-Know-Who starts injecting his infamous "wet-ware" kaka into the discussion.]

See: PersonalChoiceElevatedToMoralImperative, AnecdoteImpasse

CategorySubjectivityAndRelativism