Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns?

Posted by webmaven on Sunday May 08, 2022 @03:54PM
from the ask-hn dept.

Things you know but don't realize that you know (or rather, don't realize that they are in the "things other people might NOT know" category) can trip you up, especially when you're trying to explain something like a decision.

They tend to pop up as a missing context, skipped or non-explicated steps, logical leaps, and garden variety mistaken "everybody knows" assumptions (in which case it is a subtype of "things you know that ain't so" errors).

What are yours?

( 5 comments | 2 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns? by justsomehnguy on Monday May 09, 2022 @05:29PM (#31320021)

Anything I know just by the virtue of being curious and reading a lot (and not hestitating at right-clicking for "Search on the Web for ..."). And the other thing is just the basic things you should learn at the school.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns? by derbOac on Sunday May 08, 2022 @06:56PM (#31308807)

Is it possible to accurately answer this question?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns? by webmaven on Friday May 13, 2022 @02:29AM (#31364068)

The thing is, the unknown-ness often varies over time. So it could be things you know but sometimes forget that you know.

So, "accurately"? Yes. Completely? Of course not.

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Re:Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns? by humblefactory on Sunday May 08, 2022 @10:13PM (#31309768)

I think the OP gave a pretty good way to recognize at least some of these. But you're right that one can probably never know their own entire constellation of these assumptions.

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Re:Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns? by webmaven on Friday May 13, 2022 @02:30AM (#31364083)

Heck, I would never insist that any answers I get must be comprehensive.

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