Reason and emotion are a false dichotomy I observed that emotional is often put as antithesis of rationality, This is wrong, it doesn’t have to be You can remain sensitive — while being rational and reasonable But yes, emotional agitation is typically inversely related to rationality BUT it’s only a correlation, not causation Likewise …
Tag: Understanding
You Misattribute What “The OBVIOUS” Is (And Therefore Fail The Debate Before It Even Started)
In any matter there’s the: BASELINE / CONSENSUS / PARADIGM Sometimes it’s simple to gauge, sometimes not Sometimes the consensus of the mass is obviously the reflection of the current state of the technology/culture/economy/politics, e.g. that cars are the default means of transportation. No secret knowledge on the matter that disrupts the consensus Sometimes …
do it MEDIOCRE vs PROPER vs EXCELLENT
Let’s consider the stages from SHIT to EXCELLENCE: poorly, mediocre, properly, excellently (robustly), too well POORLY will fuck you up almost immediately -the wheels will fall off -you’ll be late by 3h -MULTIPLE things will magically go wrong -everything is of obvious poor quality visible to the naked eye -unpleasant in taste -really dangerous, …
The “GRADIENT”, The FUZZY LOGIC of Various Problems
Many problems can’t be broken down to chains with finite-state nodes: -e.g. 2-3 options here, then 2 options from there, then another 4 options, etc. -with each step having an OBJECTIVE SOLUTION, for given ends Instead it’s this network of INTERCONNECTED nodes, with most things fuzzy (but NOT indeterminate) -each node falling SOMEWHERE on …
You Don’t Know “The World” — You Only Know It’s Subset
World is really just different groups, sets Including sets with only one entity in it = an individual And the set with every individual in it = the world So really when you say “the world” — it could mean a number of things And typically NOT the set containing all individuals in the …
we must all be philosophers
We are all philosophers Because every problem is ultimately philosophical Every problem and solution involves a chain of WHYs With a fundamental, philosophical “WHY” at the bottom This of course doesn’t mean we can’t act without being philosophical first We can do anything It’s just that our basis for making that decision, …
The Consilience of MAINSTREAM (Mainstream is Underrated)
“consilience (also convergence of evidence or concordance of evidence) is the principle that evidence from independent, unrelated sources can “converge” on strong conclusions” This also matches my observation about society, collective, the hive-mind, and leads me to the following formula: CONTRARIANS on average < MAINSTREAM on average < nuanced takes of intelligent informed …
Good Theory vs Shit Theory
Good theory is like an edifice Good theory is an edifice Bad theory is a juvenile fantasy It’s mashing lego bricks together It’s doodling a tower with crayons It’s a castle made of sand It’s a house of cards Good theory is a structure that doesn’t collapse How does a theory collapse? …
What They Don’t See (Is What Matters)
Often it’s not what you see It’s what you DON’T SEE Of course, with knowledge – knowing what you DON’T KNOW is considered a virtue Everyone knows something But mistakes are made when you think you know something – but you don’t If you know you don’t know – you can work around it, …
The Fallacy Of Intangible
There’s the well-defined, and there’s the intangible relationships fairness attitude intention effort will intuition confidence worth goodness authenticity attraction But what does INTANGIBLE mean? Does it mean those things don’t exist? Does it mean those things are effectively intractable, UNCONTROLLABLE? And therefore IRRELEVANT practically? See that’s the fallacy of intangible, if you …