Frequently asked questions about thinking, epistemology, and cognitive tools. 2409 answers
No one will give you permission to think for yourself — you must take it.
Resistance to certain feedback signals it touches an important blind spot.
No one will give you permission to think for yourself — you must take it.
Evolution built in a tendency to defer to authority — recognize when it activates.
Evolution built in a tendency to defer to authority — recognize when it activates.
A small set of core principles that explain most of your experience is an integrated schema.
Evolution built in a tendency to defer to authority — recognize when it activates.
Assigning specific blocks of time to specific types of work ensures important work gets done.
Self-authority does not mean arrogance or certainty. The most powerful form of self-authority is the humble recognition that you are responsible for evaluating evidence and updating your beliefs — even when that means admitting you were wrong.
Define in advance what evidence would cause you to abandon a course of action.
Define in advance what evidence would cause you to abandon a course of action.
Professional environments are designed to distribute authority hierarchically. Self-authority at work means knowing when to follow the hierarchy and when your independent judgment must override it.
Evolution built in a tendency to defer to authority — recognize when it activates.
The structure of your environment determines your default behavior.
When X happens I will do Y — this specific format dramatically increases follow-through.
Thesis and antithesis can sometimes be resolved through synthesis that preserves truth from both.
No external entity has more right to direct your thinking than you do. Self-authority is the recognition that you — not your culture, your employer, your algorithms, or your defaults — are the legitimate governing agent of your own cognitive infrastructure.
No external entity has more right to direct your thinking than you do. Self-authority is the recognition that you — not your culture, your employer, your algorithms, or your defaults — are the legitimate governing agent of your own cognitive infrastructure.
No one will give you permission to think for yourself — you must take it.
No one will give you permission to think for yourself — you must take it.
The gap between what you say you value and what you actually do is the most important contradiction to examine.
Fewer options leads to better decisions — eliminate unnecessary choices.
More options often leads to worse outcomes and less satisfaction — constrain deliberately.
Professional environments are designed to distribute authority hierarchically. Self-authority at work means knowing when to follow the hierarchy and when your independent judgment must override it.