To varying degrees we use art and science in our trading decisions. I was reading a book on airplane landing phase techniques and came across the following. I thought it had some interesting parallels with trading.
Art – Doing it by feel. Humans are intrinsically lazy. Thus, by default we
try to do everything by feel. It’s easy and doesn’t require any
forethought. But it doesn’t always work so well, either. Science
frequently dictates the easiest and most efficient way to succeed at a
task. We simply have to invest the time to learn the proper technique.
Science – Doing it by the numbers. Certain parts of the flight envelope
are best controlled by specific settings, deduced by science. But other
parts are too complex or occur too quickly to allow rote responses. This
is where we must rely on our instincts and apply artistic solutions.
Zen – Achieving enlightenment through the most direct method
possible. Zen tells us to do art or science as needed. Our job is to learn
which one is preferable in a given situation.
(www.betterlandings.com)
Art – Doing it by feel. Humans are intrinsically lazy. Thus, by default we
try to do everything by feel. It’s easy and doesn’t require any
forethought. But it doesn’t always work so well, either. Science
frequently dictates the easiest and most efficient way to succeed at a
task. We simply have to invest the time to learn the proper technique.
Science – Doing it by the numbers. Certain parts of the flight envelope
are best controlled by specific settings, deduced by science. But other
parts are too complex or occur too quickly to allow rote responses. This
is where we must rely on our instincts and apply artistic solutions.
Zen – Achieving enlightenment through the most direct method
possible. Zen tells us to do art or science as needed. Our job is to learn
which one is preferable in a given situation.
(www.betterlandings.com)