Emotions are not rational or irrational It’s but a signal, But they are also an end It is thus misleading to consider them in terms of rationality, Their only rational or irrational element is our attitude and interpretation of those emotions But it’s also misleading to NOT incorporate them as crucial variables in …
Tag: Clarity
The Soft-Fantasy Mindset
The soft-fantasy mindset is not a full-on fantasy You don’t believe any random nonsense that’s pleasant to imagine, Incoherence, conflict with the consensus, conflict with the authorities’ position — are all enough to dissuade you from proudly asserting your belief in some magical phenomenon you’re more sceptical than that: maybe divination doesn’t exactly …
BASICS ARE RARELY BASIC
BASICS ARE BASIC, in the sense that: They are what you learn first They are what you learn BEFORE the “advanced” stuff You often have no choice but to get minimally competent at them — or else can’t proceed, potentially can’t unlock any ROI (return on investment) And thus are also most COMMON =again give …
Meaningless Comparisons
For a comparison to make sense — it has to be meaningful Otherwise it’s meaningless, obviously When it’s meaningless — it’s rather useless, or at very least misleading What is better? Cats or washing machines? Green or furry? Rich vs sunny? Having tail or having little debt? Like is this meaningful? Obviously it’s …
To Know What You Want, Take It Apart
Knowing what you want is extremely complicated Because most things you don’t have — you don’t have for a reason That reason is the cost And that cost itself often comprises multiple variables And of course the very value, the reward — often comprises multiple variables too It is useful then to reason from …
“Neutral” Is Usually The Best Attitude
“I don’t know” is usually the best answer, Because why would you know? The world is infinitely complicated If you’re interacting with the world — you should be stumped all the time Likewise “NEUTRAL” is usually the best attitude For the same reason Usually you don’t know what you’re dealing with Not entirely You …
Fake Acceptance; The Problem vs. The Attitude
There’s something in you, around you, near you, about you, that’s LESS than desirable Maybe that undesirability is clear — maybe less clear Maybe it’s justified, maybe it’s a fair trade-off — maybe not But your attitude to that thing is what really matters There are many attitudes to take The …
The Modalities Of Understanding, And The Trap Of Borrowed Comprehension
You can read or hear something, Let’s assume that thing to be true, or useful Now there’s a number of things that can happen One option is that you DON’T UNDERSTAND it At which point — you can either be aware of this failure of comprehension, OR NOT The latter is of course …
When You’re a Public Person You Should Keep Your Mouth Shut
When you’re a public person — you probably ought to shut your fucking mouth No, not because you’re a coward, and scared of owning up to your beliefs But because you’re wise enough to understand that your cute little opinions are not so fucking important AND YET, may be misleading to others and …
The Bastard Child of the Serious and the Common
I like the marriage of the serious, the formal, the academic, the rigorous, the theoretical with the casual, the informal, the vernacular, the everyday, the practical I also despise it Because this is yet another way in which we mislead others and ourselves Not everything can be formulated rigorously And then even if …