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Einstein was wrong on insanity

Canell

Canell

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
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Those words are attributed to Albert Einstein and are often quoted lately.
However, I think this insanity definition is wrong, so, it's time to debunk it. :)

Think of well digging. You dig and dig and dig and finally you struck water. So, repetitive action is not meaningless per se.
OK, another example - sex . Do I have to explain? :)

Anyone disagree?
 
You are not doing the same thing, you are digging ever deeper, thus exploring new territory in search of an objective - good water. Insanity, in that case, would be continuing to dig past finding good water to try to find better water. ;)

As for the sex example, you are not anticipating a different result you are repeating a pleasurable activity hoping for that same result. ;)
 
Canell said:
Those words are attributed to Albert Einstein and are often quoted lately.
However, I think this insanity definition is wrong, so, it's time to debunk it. :)

Think of well digging. You dig and dig and dig and finally you struck water. So, repetitive action is not meaningless per se.
OK, another example - sex . Do I have to explain? :)

Anyone disagree?
Click to expand...

I disagree see post above mine
 
ttwtt78640 said:
As for the sex example, you are not anticipating a different result you are repeating a pleasurable activity hoping for that same result. ;)
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And yet, you get a different result. :) Why don't you "please yourself" (have more sex) after the culmination? ;)
 
I don't think it was meant to be a philisophical discription, but I would say that diong the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result could be a symptom of insanity, but it might also in other cases be rational, depending on the nature of the thing.
 
Canell said:
Those words are attributed to Albert Einstein and are often quoted lately.
However, I think this insanity definition is wrong, so, it's time to debunk it. :)

Think of well digging. You dig and dig and dig and finally you struck water. So, repetitive action is not meaningless per se.
OK, another example - sex . Do I have to explain? :)

Anyone disagree?
Click to expand...

You are assuming a person expects to find water with one shovel full of dirt so yes i disagree.
 
RGacky3 said:
I don't think it was meant to be a philisophical discription, but I would say that diong the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result could be a symptom of insanity, but it might also in other cases be rational, depending on the nature of the thing.
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Have any examples?
 
Canell said:
And yet, you get a different result. :) Why don't you "please yourself" (have more sex) after the culmination? ;)
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Who says that I do not? The point is that one is not repeating the activity hoping for a different result. ;)
 
sawyerloggingon said:
Have any examples?
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Falling in love, digging for water, flying in a plane (you could always expect that it may crash although it hasn't yet), rolling dice and so on and so forth.

But in all of those cases you have a reason for expecting that you'll perhaps have a different outcome.

Now you could say "well, you're digging for water in a different place, falling in love for with a different person and so on," but you're still doing the same action, and no action is ever 100% the exact same action, and most actions are very different in nature.

I'd say what makes repeating an action an insane one is when there is no reason (at least a rational reason) for expecting a different outcome, yet one keeps doing it expecting a different outcome.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
You are not doing the same thing, you are digging ever deeper, thus exploring new territory in search of an objective - good water. Insanity, in that case, would be continuing to dig past finding good water to try to find better water. ;)

As for the sex example, you are not anticipating a different result you are repeating a pleasurable activity hoping for that same result. ;)
Click to expand...

No - the statement is 'expecting different results'

If you dig for water you hope to find water - every time.
When you have sex you hope to have the same result - every time.

And sometimes it doesn't work out (or a lot of the time it doesn't work out). . . but that doesn't change that you expect the SAME results.

So - electing democrats over and over expecting them to fix the problems they've caused (or republicans - pick your poison). . .that would fit better. It still rings true.


You can't outsmart Einstein ;)

If you have sex over and over and expect different results you're doing something wrong.
 
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ttwtt78640 said:
The point is that one is not repeating the activity hoping for a different result. ;)
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Well, the definition doesn't say so (please, see OP). ;)
 
Aunt Spiker said:
No - the statement is 'expecting different results'

If you dig for water you hope to find water - every time.
When you have sex you hope to have the same result - every time.

And sometimes it doesn't work out (or a lot of the time it doesn't work out). . . but that doesn't change that you expect the SAME results.

So - electing democrats over and over expecting them to fix the problems they've caused (or republicans - pick your poison). . .that would fit better. It still rings true.


You can't outsmart Einstein ;)
Click to expand...

No it's expecting different result from the actions you've done.

i.e. if you hit yourself in the head with the hammer and expect enlightenment, but only get a headache, doing it again and again and still expecting enlightenment dispite the result being a headache everytime is what Einstein was saying is the definition of insanity.

Point is though, I don't think this was meant as a philisophical statement, if it was, it obviously wasn't a well thought out one.
 
Canell said:
Those words are attributed to Albert Einstein and are often quoted lately.
However, I think this insanity definition is wrong, so, it's time to debunk it. :)

Think of well digging. You dig and dig and dig and finally you struck water. So, repetitive action is not meaningless per se.
OK, another example - sex . Do I have to explain? :)

Anyone disagree?
Click to expand...

If you dig in a different place you are not doing the same thing, you are digging somewhere new.

Also for sex, if your having sex the same way over, and over, and over again, your not doing it right ;)
 
Aunt Spiker said:
No - the statement is 'expecting different results'

If you dig for water you hope to find water - every time.
When you have sex you hope to have the same result - every time.

And sometimes it doesn't work out (or a lot of the time it doesn't work out). . . but that doesn't change that you expect the SAME results.

So - electing democrats over and over expecting them to fix the problems they've caused (or republicans - pick your poison). . .that would fit better. It still rings true.


You can't outsmart Einstein ;)
Click to expand...

The Einstein definition has two parts; doing the same thing (repeatedly) and expecting different results. If the expecting different results part is missing then the activity (even if repeated) is not insane. Your initial examples point out expecting the same results, while your latter example, re-electing the same congress critters/president and expecting change (for the better?), fits the Einstien insanity definition perfectly. ;)
 
Your Star said:
If you dig in a different place you are not doing the same thing, you are digging somewhere new.
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I assume we dig in one well. ;) Well, if you are digging on the ocean beach and expecting to find drinking water, that would be insanity, yes. :)
 
Canell said:
I assume we dig in one well. ;) Well, if you are digging on the beach and expecting to find drinking water, that would be insanity, yes. :)
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I think that's the point, not that repetitive behavior is insane but trying to get better results from an activity that is proving to be negative. There's almost no absolute statement where there's not an exception.
 
RGacky3 said:
Falling in love, digging for water, flying in a plane (you could always expect that it may crash although it hasn't yet), rolling dice and so on and so forth.

But in all of those cases you have a reason for expecting that you'll perhaps have a different outcome.

Now you could say "well, you're digging for water in a different place, falling in love for with a different person and so on," but you're still doing the same action, and no action is ever 100% the exact same action, and most actions are very different in nature.

I'd say what makes repeating an action an insane one is when there is no reason (at least a rational reason) for expecting a different outcome, yet one keeps doing it expecting a different outcome.
Click to expand...

Now you have it, that is what Einstein meant.
 
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