[h2odragon]

Part of it may be that since wikipedia etc exists; you're "supposed to do your homework" before even asking. The idea that people might discuss things from and in a state of ignorance as a means of learning or even just social interaction, rather than from laziness ... that's not something most people think of. "Sophomoric discussion" is an insult now, somehow.

It's fun how often things that "everybody knows" are, once you get someone talking about them, not actually as well known and universally agreed as everyone seems to take for granted.

[whitfieldsdad]

I've noticed this phenomenon as well - all knowledge that has ever been documented is considered common knowledge these days, but, most people don't have a working understanding of it.

It's sort of like the dirty little secret of the 21st century - knowledge is power - therefore you must know everything to be powerful - therefore, by faking advanced level knowledge of all things is the shortest route to becoming all-powerful.

So, we have all of these people who get upset by beginners because they're the weakest, least powerful people - even if we're only powerful because we've lied about the things we have a working knowledge about (e.g. quantum physics, how vaccines work, the pros and cons of wearing a skin-tight latex bodysuit vs. a t-shirt and jeans while riding your bicycle to the grocery store to get milk because it makes you 5% faster).

[thfuran]

"Sophomoric" was never a compliment.

[whitfieldsdad]

I don't really understand the meaning of sophomoric discussion, but, is it basically being open to, and discussing thoughts, ideas, concepts, etc., that you're not an expert in?

Isn't talking about, and exploring things that you're not an expert in, good, rather than bad, as that's how you learn new things?

[thfuran]

>Isn't talking about, and exploring things that you're not an expert in, good, rather than bad, as that's how you learn new things?

Potentially, but that's not what "sophomoric" means. It's roughly the intersection of overconfident and immature.

[whitfieldsdad]

Ah, gotcha, I didn't realize that sophomore was an insult - I just thought it meant you were a student

[thfuran]

It is in reference to sophomore year as the second year of study—being like a kid who has studied a bit and fancies that they now know a lot. But "sophomore" itself doesn't have the negative connotation.

[whitfieldsdad]

Yeah, I get that, I just didn't realize that being a beginner in a particular field of study was a bad thing or something to be frowned upon.

If there's a trope about people new to a particular field being overconfident in what they know, maybe it's just human nature rather than a fatal character flaw, or sign of immaturity.

(i.e. since you'll likely have the same sense of overconfidence the next time you try something new, or work towards mastering a particular skill rather than that overconfidence only ever coming up once or twice in your entire life)