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Ask HN: What are your Unknown Knowns?

2 points by webmaven ↗ HN
Things you know but don't realize that you know (or rather, don't realize that they are in the "things other people might NOT know" category) can trip you up, especially when you're trying to explain something like a decision.

They tend to pop up as a missing context, skipped or non-explicated steps, logical leaps, and garden variety mistaken "everybody knows" assumptions (in which case it is a subtype of "things you know that ain't so" errors).

What are yours?

5 comments

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derbOac
Is it possible to accurately answer this question?
humblefactory
I think the OP gave a pretty good way to recognize at least some of these. But you're right that one can probably never know their own entire constellation of these assumptions.
webmaven
Heck, I would never insist that any answers I get must be comprehensive.
webmaven
The thing is, the unknown-ness often varies over time. So it could be things you know but sometimes forget that you know.

So, "accurately"? Yes. Completely? Of course not.

justsomehnguy
Anything I know just by the virtue of being curious and reading a lot (and not hestitating at right-clicking for "Search on the Web for ..."). And the other thing is just the basic things you should learn at the school.