Thursday, August 25, 2011

It's hard to tell the difference between the fringe and the frontier

I guess I said this once to Kendra.

We both couldn't remember what the phrase was.

I wished I had Posted this, so I could just look it up.

Then she remembered it.

So now I probably should Post it.

The context for the statement is that if you look at someone's research, it can be difficult to judge whether their work is isolated and unlikely to have much impact (fringe) vs. being a cornerstone to future ways of thinking (frontier). 

1 comment:

  1. From the perspective of the people there (i.e., on the fringe or on the frontier) I am sure it looks pretty much the same (lonely). If you are on the fringe, you are lonely because nobody really wants to join you. However, if you are on the frontier, there are a few crusty soles who think you are exactly where they also want to be. Of course, their motivation could be mistaken. . . .

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