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Comment by acbart | Hacker News Reader

I wonder what can be done. It's terrifying to realize how dependent students are going to become on these tools. Too many people are just not willing to live with the discomfort that comes with learning something difficult, when the alternative is so readily accessible. Short term gain over long term gain, exemplified.

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I like the use of the word discomfort here. It does take an acceptance of some level of discomfort to engage with material you don't yet understand. Similar to how you experience some physical discomfort / strain when pushing your limits exercising. As you engage with discomfort your tolerance builds and what was once a difficult exercise becomes routine. The reward is worth the effort but I worry what the future looks like with many just opting out.

> I like the use of the word discomfort here.

It really is spot on. I've been reading "The Coddling of the American Mind" [0] by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. The book's precipice feeds directly into this idea and has been a fun read thus far. It seems that LLMs will feed negatively into that "coddling", described in the book, in a very negative way as they are providing discomfort avoidance.

[0] https://www.thecoddling.com/

Indeed. I tell my students it's supposed to be a workout. It's the workout that makes the learning happen.

I'm starting to think that maybe we need to start failing students again. However brutal and harmful it seems.

And go back to in person examinations. Suck for those with issues with them, but we don't need to limit time too much.

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