Comment by palish
19 years ago
If a man is wrong, you don't need to tell him so. Just give it a rest and let others form their own opinions.
Seriously, these issues, and a lot of other issues, are covered in "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Read it. If I could figure out a way to get you to feel like you came up with the idea to read it, I would, but I can't, so just read it.
I know you are well intentioned, but if I'm full of it I'd rather someone told me, preferrably in a respectful but blunt way. I'll form my own opinion anyway.
I know I took criticism personally and reacted very badly once or twice in the past, so I see your point. But I realised I was being a baby and grew from the experience. No speech on humility can make you humble. At best, it will convince you you should be humble, and maybe by acting humble some of it will sink in and stick. Real humility comes from realising your mistakes. [Edit:] That's painful at first, but necessary to get over your ego.
[PS: Sorry, I drifted into replying to other comments of yours, and the end result may be confusing.]
You're right, of course.
Actually, if someone is wrong about math you probably should tell him so.
I agree. In private.
You should tell him he's wrong, but you shouldn't be a jerk or gloat about it, which cperciva wasn't.
No, really.. It is wise to never publically tell someone they are wrong, unless you're defending someone. You should wait until his friends and colleagues have left his side, then whisper your opinion into his ear. In the Internet world, that means sending him an email. To not do so is bad karma in every sense of the word.. My post above was modded down because I publically pointed out that he was wrong to point out Paul's percieved flaws in public; maybe I should have sent him an email instead. This wisdom is proven true over and over. My #lisp fiasco convinced me of that (long story).
You're wrong to tell people they're wrong to publicly tell people they're wrong.
Most mature and intelligent people love it when someone is able to offer useful critiques of their work, as long as they're civil about it. For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method
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