The key element in thinking like a physicist is being willing to push simultaneously to extreme levels of abstraction and specificity. This sounds paradoxical until you see it in action. Then it seems obvious. Abstraction means that you strip away inessential detail. Specificity means that you take very seriously the things that remain.
From "About Paul", relevant to network effects:
"Much of the texture and complexity of social progress is the result of a mismatch between stable social norms on the one hand, and the combination of continuously evolving technologies and continuously increasing scales of human interaction on the other. When technology changes and the scale of our interaction grows, our rules should change in parallel, but stable social norms can get in the way."
The key element in thinking like a physicist is being willing to push simultaneously to extreme levels of abstraction and specificity. This sounds paradoxical until you see it in action. Then it seems obvious. Abstraction means that you strip away inessential detail. Specificity means that you take very seriously the things that remain.
From "About Paul", relevant to network effects:
"Much of the texture and complexity of social progress is the result of a mismatch between stable social norms on the one hand, and the combination of continuously evolving technologies and continuously increasing scales of human interaction on the other. When technology changes and the scale of our interaction grows, our rules should change in parallel, but stable social norms can get in the way."