The Limitations of Experience

As related to pipe-smoking, few things annoy me so much as the arrogant certainty of some pipe smokers who believe, because they have smoked a pipe for some 30 to 40 years or more, that they know all there is to know on the subject.

Invariably, these people accredit their opinions by their long experience, implying that knowledge and wisdom are conveyed by virtue of having passed time with a pipe in their kisser. They trumpet, “I’ve smoked a pipe for over 40 years, and blah, blah, blah (insert opinion-of-the-day here)….”

Bullshit. Many have smoked a pipe for 1 year and repeated that single year 39 times.

Decades of jamming Prince Albert into a cob pipe will make you conversant with cobs and Prince Albert, but it certainly doesn’t substitute for active inquiry and experimentation with scores of different pipe makers and tobacco blenders over that same 40 years. By making this comparison, I am not denigrating Prince Albert or cobs, both of which are what they are, I am declaring that if that is all you have done, then you haven’t done much. This would be just as true for someone who has smoked Balkan Sobranie in an S. Bang. That experience would be just as limited.

I am 60 years old and I’ve smoked a pipe since I was 19. The pipe-smoking knowledge I acquired in those first few years was worthless to anyone but me. Most of what I learned concerned what to avoid  and how to keep from hurting myself. It was analogous to discovering that I liked peach ice cream more than chocolate, and if I ate too much of either, I would make myself sick.

I liked smoking a pipe when I was in my 20s, but it would never have occurred to me that I should have been learning something. That wasn’t the point. I would have been incredulous at the whole notion of being a student of pipes or tobaccos. Indeed, decades would pass before I learned enough to know how much I had to learn and how stunted my understanding of pipes and tobaccos was. By the time I was 30 I was every bit as much a novice as I was when I was 20, I was just more practiced at the habits of my novitiate.

When I compare the pipe smoker I was in my 20s with some of the twenty-somethings I know today in the hobby, it is very apparent to me that their knowledge and experience dwarf what I knew when I was their age. They are conversant with scores of artisanal and factory-made pipes. Their knowledge of blends, components, and styles has been informed by experience and study. They did not stumble onto Balkan Sobranie; they sought it out. Their racks are populated with good, if not excellent, artisanal and vintage factory pipes.

My pipe collection was mostly a happy accident with a few unfortunate monstrosities strewn among them. I knew that some of my pipes smoked better than others, but I had no idea why, nor did I imagine that there might have been a reason. I have enormous respect for the savvy, younger pipe smokers I know today, and I would no more condescend to them by virtue of my age and experience than I would condescend to Michael Jordan because I have been playing basketball longer than he has.

Pipe knowledge is no different than other domains of knowledge. Learning and innovation result from inquiry and experimentation. The truly knowledgable among us apply order and method to the acquisition of knowledge. They have a learning strategy and they execute consistently. Something else, however, is required to be knowledgable in this domain: skepticism to an almost paranoid degree.

Unlike some other domains, the pipe world is replete with misinformation and disinformation that makes much of what we think we know wrong. We don’t have peer-reviewed journals. This is a hobby. This dynamic is amplified by the algorithms of search engines. The geniuses behind Google and Bing have not figured out how to rank returns by accuracy, so we see what is seen most often, not what is accurate.

Here we have the biggest problem with experience. Much of what we think we know to be truth is factually incorrect. Much of what is wrong results from intentional deception that occurred decades ago. The advertising campaign, for example, declares that Piccadilly’s Mr. Marcovitch personally hand-made cigarettes for the Prince of Wales who would become King Edward VII.

This is an absolute fabrication that is easily proven. Yet, that did not stop me from buying this whopper hook, line, and sinker until Jon Guss set me straight.

Another example concerns Comoy Blue Ribands. Some experts perceived to be fonts of knowledge have written that the line was introduced in the early 1930s. In fact, the line was likely made in late 1937 and introduced to the marketplace in 1938.

My point here is that sometimes long experience with pipedom is as much handicap as it is advantage. Those who are truly blessed with knowledge and experience portray another character trait: humility.

Nothing humbles one more than realizing how little one knows. As my Uncle T used to tell me, “Boy, someday you’ll learn enough to figure out you don’t know nothin’.”

Comments

[Wes H.]

I enjoyed this very much. A great read as usual.

I'm sure other myths and disinformation will come to mind, but how many times have we heard that "sealed" finishes like shellac won't allow the briar to "breathe." "Never buy a pipe with a sealed finish," they say. And yet, most pipe makers, including Rad Davis and other highly regarded makers, finish their sandblasted pipes with shellac or some other glossy material.

I used to believe this myth myself (based on nothing but having heard it oft repeated). Then I learned what the pipe makers themselves had to say.

[cakeanddottle]

I started smoking a pipe at the beginning of 2011. The internet speeds up the learning process for motivated students in regards to pipes. I think the looming threat of FDA regulation also speeds up that same student's grasp and knowledge of his own preferences in regards to pipe tobacco.

One thing's for sure, whatever you think about tobaccoreviews.com, if you study it and learn how to read between the lines early on, it's an invaluable resource that will save you loads of money wasted on errant tobacco purchases. In my 110 pound cellar of 87 blends, there isn't a whole lot of tobacco I would want a do-over on, and I can thank TR for that.

Efficiency is a beautiful thing. There is always a way to go about doing something with an economy of effort that produces best results. Finding that efficiency is fun and rewarding.

[kcghost]

As anyone who studies history will tell you you should always bring a healthy dose of skepticism when someone make claims to knowledge. It never hurts to ask for proof and when someone pulls out the old chestnut "well I ought to know" you know you are listening to just one guys opinion. He might be right, but who knows.

Always remember Carl Sagan's mantra that when someone makes a strong claim that "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof".

[toby]

This was an enjoyable blog, Neill. I found myself smiling and nodding as I read. Lots of time in rank & still don’t know very much….yep, you’ve pegged me, pipe-wise at least. But my horizon has been exponentially increased thanks to a couple years following your Passion for Pipes stories and expositories. It’s been an education to say the least, complete with a steep financial tuition, none of which (which seems sort of unfair) has gone to you. Well, as I’ve heard said a number of times, “Teaching is its own reward.” Hopefully, that’s true in this instance.

[Jimbo]

So true Neill.

Yes, I've been smoking a pipe for over 50 years but a lot of my early expertise" was gained from those ubiquitous mentors "a man I met in the pub'" and " I have a friend who says..".

I later found folks who did have real experience and objective views but it was another long step to learning to make my own mind up.

Wiser now? Don't know - but cetainly better informed!

[Bri2k]

Thank you for another thought provoking post, Neill. There are many that see pipe smoking as a hobby. However, I'm among those that see it as part of my everyday life along with breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I may try a new blend from time to time, I've found those I enjoy most, and enjoyment is the point, isn't it? This is not to say I won't try something new and I think that one needs to keep an open mind. I believe it's folly for anyone to represent themselves as knowing all there is to know about any particular subject. I've learned something from pipe smokers on all ends of the spectrum and when offering advice, I try to remember to add the caveat that their experience may differ from mine. Especially in matters of taste, perception is indeed subjective.

Thank you for your wonderful blog which never fails to spark my interest.

Bri2k