Don’t you know?” he asked with a great show of…
““Don’t you know?” he asked with a great show of incredulity. “This is the latest scientific method. It can produce more.” I hadn’t planted rice seedlings before, but I knew what every Japanese kid learned in elementary school. If you plant rice seedlings too close together, they crowd one another out and can’t produce a decent crop. Rice Growing 101, if you like. But then I thought, This guy can’t be an amateur. He must know something I don’t. Maybe they’ve discovered something new. So I carried on. Needless to say, the crop was a miserable failure. I often wonder how many people starved as a result of that idiotic policy.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker assumes a new scientific method must be superior, but it fails, highlighting blind trust in unverified claims.
In simple terms: Blind trust in new methods can lead to failure.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions before adopting new practices.
Themes
skepticism
science
risk
agriculture
Mood
cautious
critical
Type
advice
warning
When to use this quote
- farming
- policy decisions
- technology adoption
Key Concepts
confirmation bias
overconfidence
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence would you require before trying a new technique?
- How can you balance innovation with caution?
A Different Perspective
New methods need rigorous testing before widespread use.