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Lecture Chauffeur Max Type Focuses Knowing Planck Quantum

Text The Max Planck/chauffer distinction illustrates the difference between the two types of knowledge.  

The first (spurious) type of knowledge focuses on knowing the name of something. The second (true) type focuses on knowing something. 
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It's the apocryphal story about how Max Planck, after he won the Nobel Prize, went around Germany giving the same standard lecture on the new quantum mechanics.

Over time, his chauffeur memorized the lecture and said, “Would you mind, Professor Planck, because it’s so boring to stay in our routine, if I gave the lecture in Munich and you just sat in front wearing my chauffeur’s hat?” Planck said, “Why not?” And the chauffeur got up and gave this long lecture on quantum mechanics. After which a physics professor stood up and asked a perfectly ghastly question. The speaker said, “Well I’m surprised that in an advanced city like Munich I get such an elementary question. I’m going to ask my chauffeur to reply.”

Tags: fallacies

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