Caltech students in Hawking's lecture

alleya
Wed, 04 Apr 2007 21:09:39 +0000

There are entire studies in linguistics based on how people address each other and how that affects the flow of ideas. I remember once reading an example of a plane crash caused by ice on the wings for which they later analyzed the conversation in the cockpit. The copilot happened to have greater experience flying in those conditions, unbenownst to the pilot, but used a deferential tone and wording because of his inferior status. Because of this wording, the pilot did not give much weight to the copilot’s comment about ice on the wing, and the result was disastrous.

This is obviously an extreme example, but the point is that Ben’s assertion about the importance of a free and equal discussion and its setup based on address is not BS.