3 ms·
Mark Twain had no trouble thinking for himself. Paul Graham does the same kind of thing in his essays. Every great standup comedian in the world does it. It's
by staunch 11y ago
Mark Twain had no trouble thinking for himself. Paul Graham does the same kind of thing in his essays. Every great standup comedian in the world does it.
It's a skill that few practice, but thinking for yourself is not actually difficult. Most people have the basic reasoning skills required, they just never care enough to "rock the boat". And that's the real cause of conformity: apathy.
- TeMPOraL 11y agoI don't think it's apathy. I feel it's culture and economic considerations. Society generally doesn't reward you for thinking outside the box, or outside the "outside the box" box. It rewards you for following the same rules, norms and patterns as everyone else does. Meanwhile, you have your spouse and kids to feed, house to keep warm, lots of work to do for little pay and an abusive boss that keeps you on your toes. Most people don't have time to think for themselves, even if it was rewarded, and it isn't.