Frequently asked questions about thinking, epistemology, and cognitive tools. 222 answers
Actual choices reveal your real value hierarchy better than abstract reflection.
Record instances where values conflicted and what you chose to understand your hierarchy.
Terminal values are valued for their own sake while instrumental values are means to ends.
Examine which of your high-priority values you chose versus absorbed from culture.
What you are willing to sacrifice reveals your true value hierarchy.
Twice a year formally review your values and their ranking.
Your values should be the same at work at home and alone — inconsistency signals conflict.
Examining your regrets reveals where you acted against your values.
Identify your three highest values — these should guide your most important decisions.
Making your values known to others allows them to support your priorities.
How your value hierarchy holds up under stress reveals its true strength.
Lived experience teaches you more about your values than abstract contemplation.
Changing what you value most is not fickleness — it is maturation.
Choose environments where your values are supported rather than constantly challenged.
Clear values eliminate entire categories of decisions — you simply choose what aligns.
Clear values eliminate entire categories of decisions — you simply choose what aligns.
Clear values eliminate entire categories of decisions — you simply choose what aligns.
Clear values eliminate entire categories of decisions — you simply choose what aligns.
Clear values eliminate entire categories of decisions — you simply choose what aligns.
Often the hardest value decisions are between two good things not between good and bad.
Living according to your values when it is costly is the deepest expression of character.
Clear values remove confusion and provide direction for every significant choice.
You cannot prevent all suffering but you can choose how to relate to it.
Suffering that serves a purpose is fundamentally different from pointless suffering.