There is one point there that I thought was interesting, regarding asking questions, and not being afraid to look stupid and about many senior/distinguished people doing that. Being in science, I noticed that it gets easier when you get more and more stature. I.e. if you are a professor, I think it is very easy to ask a postdoc/student after the talk -- sorry I don't understand it, or sorry if it is a stupid question. And the reason is 1) you know much better the limits of your knowledge, so it is unlikely a stupid question 2) You may be less dependent on the opinion of people surrounding you. While if you are say a grad student, when you ask a question, there is a higher chance of looking stupid, just because you may know significantly less and also you may be more afraid of people around you because of their higher career status.
Because of all this, I find it a bit disingenuous when senior people say to younger people that you should always ask questions and not being afraid of looking stupid.
But being curious and asking questions is good overall. It is just not always easy.
> Because of all this, I find it a bit disingenuous when senior people say to younger people that you should always ask questions and not being afraid of looking stupid. But being curious and asking questions is good overall. It is just not always easy.
I agree with your general point, but a minor comment here: in many cases the professor/leader asking those (stupid) questions may be to create psychological safety for a more open conversation. It is less threatening to the person being questioned; it also encourages other people to participate.
Because of all this, I find it a bit disingenuous when senior people say to younger people that you should always ask questions and not being afraid of looking stupid. But being curious and asking questions is good overall. It is just not always easy.