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Comment by Oddskar | Hacker News Reader

Why is it condescending to state that certain wisdom comes with age?

For the same reason it would be condescending to say that a person is too old to understand something.

If you are young you surely expect to acquire more knowledge and experience over time. So you should expect to make better decisions in the future. You cannot say that every old person is wiser than every young person, but you can certainly say that older people (before dementure kicks in) are wiser on average.

Of course, I didn't believe this when I was young either.

The appreciation and nuanced interpretation of simplified general principles is also a skill that comes with age.

There is no conversation we can have if all you say will be "you'll learn with age" especially without knowing other commenters age. You sound nothing other than like a religious zealot.

After all that's been said in these comments to explain and nuance this idea, you seem awfully confident in an interpretation that ignores all of it. Instead you assert an extreme, black-and-white, overgeneralized interpretation that has already been repudiated multiple times.

I agree that zealotry is best avoided.

Although you mentioned the word "nuance" in your comments, I don't find your world view particularly nuanced, especially since it's an extremely common one (in US culture I'm aware of it's the standard world view), also one I grew out of throughout my life. As you might agree, it's particularly hard to agree with someone when you used to agree with them and changed your view later with conviction. I imagine this is also why you think my view is un-nuanced.

However, please note that cutting people out of discussion "because this is something you'll learn as you age" is not a great way to convince them of something (which may not be your goal).

I'm not excluding you from the discussion in the slightest. You've made assertions and I've engaged with those assertions. Because, despite whatever little wisdom I've gained from age, I'm still curious and interested in learning from different perspectives.

You've ignored the majority of what I've said, including everything about how age is not a bright dividing line between the wise and the foolish.

Evidently you want to keep believing what you believe. So, go ahead and do that. I really can't stop you and don't wish to.

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