>"And there's no particular reason why this person X who you bonded with years ago in environment Y is going to be easier to learn with than some random person off the street now that you're in environment not-Y with a different person X2 who evolved from person X -- just as you've evolved (or devolved) into Me2 from the Me you were."
replyThis is overly strong. X2 is likely similar to X and Me2 is similar to Me. X2 is certainly more likely to get along well with Me2 than a random, but far from guaranteed (which proves your point, but I wanted to rein in the pessimism)
Yes, that's fair, and you are right. I guess I was using hyperbole to contrast with the naive and common "I'm great at basketball so obviously I'll be really good at baseball" mentality. The skills are not unrelated, but success in one area does not guarantee success in another.
reply> Doctors often fall into the trap of treating the disease and ignoring the patient
replyMy brother last year went to the doctor with an ear ache. The doctor prescribed him some liquids and pills. Only after he left he realised the doctor never even looked into his ear!