Updated: Jan 5, 2021
"For most of human history, for like 99.99% of it, our world was governed largely by ignorance. We did not know the diseases that could afflict the human body or understand them, let alone what to do about them. We didn’t understand how societies rose and fell. We didn’t understand how economics worked, even in the most basic components.” This points to our lack of strong mental capacities for separating fact from fiction. Everything that is not a natural fact is a shared belief. Money, businesses, laws, all political views are shared beliefs but are often thought of as truths. Everyone thinks they are acting for the right cause so telling others how to act doesn’t work, the only way to change people is by example. Drop your desired outcomes to see the truth clearly. Insight and wisdom must be earned. Most of us don’t want to take the time but this allows us to understand the complexities. We drown ourselves with surface level information and don’t take the time to go deep enough to truly understand. Take time to drop your conceptual thinking, everything that comes to mind is understood through previous experience. “The fact that We can never truly know what matters allows you to live a carefree life.”
1. Clarify your thinking and explaining the origins of your ideas (why do I think this? What exactly do I think?) 2.Challenge assumptions (how do I know this is true? What if I thought the opposite?) 3. Looking for evidence (How can I back this up? What are the sources?) 4. Considering alternative perspectives (What might others think? How do I know I’m correct?) 5. Examining consequences and implications (What if I’m wrong? What are the consequences if I am?) 6. Questioning the original questions (Why did I think that? Was I correct? What conclusions can I draw from the reasoning process?) (Shane Parrish)
