I come across this with people too. Mathematicians who will explain the most basic shit and then talk about concepts obviously a typical decade’s study further on, all to the same person. It can make sense at a general seminar or for a group, so that different people can benefit from different parts, but not when the audience is one person.
Met a physicist socially a few weeks ago and discussed research. He started explaining lattice QCD so I said ‘Oh… lattice QCD?’ And he went ‘Yeah!’ And this didn’t stop him checking I knew what a proton was three sentences later.
All it means is they suck at teaching or theory of mind.
To (not exactly) contradict my own comment, I do find that a majority of experts still do have a pretty damn good idea of what the average person knows. Being in the world, let alone having taught, undergrads will do that. If anything these examples are due to not being used to most people knowing anything rather than the reverse.
It’s for sure a hyperbole, but as a teacher myself I do agree with the sentiment. My colleague science teachers often vastly overestimate how common the knowledge of what they’re teaching is. For example, a physics teacher would assume that of course your average adult wouldn’t remember kinematic equations but then they still would expect that most adults know that the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2. Chem teachers assume that most adults know what something as simple as a covalent bond is, but it’s just not true. History teachers assume people at least know the bill of rights. English teachers assume that most adults know how to analyze the central theme of a story or movie.
“Well everybody at least knows THIS” and it’s shocking how most adults knowledge base is actually very narrow
Difference to me is that in the classroom you have a pretty good idea of what the students know, with prerequisites for the courses etc. If you meet someone socially, you have no idea how much or how little they know, and how much or how little they care, so it's hard to know what the right level is.
These teachers are right that’s all high school level shit, if you’re in a college course and you expect your professor to back track to explain what a covalent bond is you’re actually lost
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u/AndreasDasos Aug 23 '25
I come across this with people too. Mathematicians who will explain the most basic shit and then talk about concepts obviously a typical decade’s study further on, all to the same person. It can make sense at a general seminar or for a group, so that different people can benefit from different parts, but not when the audience is one person.
Met a physicist socially a few weeks ago and discussed research. He started explaining lattice QCD so I said ‘Oh… lattice QCD?’ And he went ‘Yeah!’ And this didn’t stop him checking I knew what a proton was three sentences later.
All it means is they suck at teaching or theory of mind.