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Suspension of judgment was the very first step I discovered, I clearly remember, from when I was quite little. Perhaps I started out especially daft, but I kept

Suspension of judgment was the very first step I discovered, I clearly remember, from when I was quite little. Perhaps I started out especially daft, but I kept making discoveries ever since. Something which served me well a long time was a mental game of following logic to extreme conclusions and then asking myself "what if this is true, and my premise was wrong?" One of the most powerful methods I use now when approaching a new subject is to create my own narrative to the best of my understanding. Then as needed I can refine my narrative. - Apparently a lot of people have a thing where they become deeply and personally invested in the first narrative they discover, and it does not serve them well. - Don't be dogmatic. Coming up with counter-examples gives you great analytical abilities. It can also earn you enemies, so don't be too hard on the friends you have chosen. When you encounter something seemingly paradoxical, you have an opportunity to find a new perspective which resolves the paradox. - Here you have further opportunities to observe yourself as you are making observations. Once you are able to do this, you should be self-sufficient in improving your intelligence. Don't spend all your time pondering! All this work lets you see and experience life more deeply, so it is a waste if you don't choose to have a good time.

protonfish 9y ago
I prefer your style of thinking over the "brute force" method in the top comment. If thinking was an olympic sport, I feel it is more akin to gymnastics than power-lifting. I believe that if you are rational, disciplined, and take your time you can have more accurate beliefs and make better decisions than someone with greater raw intellectual power. I also agree that premature conclusion is the most common error of thinking. We must be mindful of irrational fear causing a false sense of urgency. Thinking compulsively without forming a conclusion can be a problem too, but it's probably a better problem to have.
aryamaan 9y ago
Could you please elaborate and give an example of these techniques.
- ganzuul 9y ago
  I can try. Suspension of judgment: say a provocative crime has been committed and a news outlet reports on a suspect. - You should be emotionally prepared that new information could arise which explains even if not forgiving the actions of the suspect. e.g. A parent kidnapping their own child, and then it turns out that the other parent was abusing the child. For taking stuff to the Xtreme, taxes is an approachable subject. Say if you have 100% tax rate, you might be looking at communism, but you might also look at a pirate ship where the captain divvies up the booty. Another example would be the mental exercise of trying to figure out that maximum possible current through a conductor. Even superconductors suffer from magnetic pinching, but if you have ever seen a plasma globe at a science fair you might discover the magnetohydrodynamic phenomena of Alfven waves. - The taxes example is more direct than these about current, but I'd argue the physics discoveries are more interesting. I very often see dogmatic beliefs in science. The mistake of 'taking the map for the terrain' is common. People will for example pick a favorite interpretation of quantum mechanics and then with complete conviction deny that effects predicted by other interpretations are worth looking for, because their interpretation excludes it. - Why try to travel around the globe? You will fall off the edge! Figuring out that someone is making this mistake can be frustrating and time-consuming. Counter-example takes the most creativity, and can be constructed to be too impenetrable. Recently I argued that if the cost of healthcare in the US would best represent the optimum quality, then countries with just as good service and universal healthcare too would be bankrupt. For paradoxes, you can apparently find a very long list on Wikipedia. I don't remember ever having gone out specifically looking for paradoxes. I have encountered them during sessions of deep pondering as apparent contradictions where I expected none, so to me they are nameless. Hope this helps! I might turn these two posts into an article... :o)
  - mezod 9y ago
    please make sure I hear about such article at mezood @ gmail :)
drakonka 9y ago
Thank you, this is very relevant to me right now. It is easy to become overly invested in your idea of what a narrative should be.

protonfish 9y ago

I prefer your style of thinking over the "brute force" method in the top comment. If thinking was an olympic sport, I feel it is more akin to gymnastics than power-lifting. I believe that if you are rational, disciplined, and take your time you can have more accurate beliefs and make better decisions than someone with greater raw intellectual power. I also agree that premature conclusion is the most common error of thinking. We must be mindful of irrational fear causing a false sense of urgency. Thinking compulsively without forming a conclusion can be a problem too, but it's probably a better problem to have.

aryamaan 9y ago

Could you please elaborate and give an example of these techniques.

ganzuul 9y ago
I can try. Suspension of judgment: say a provocative crime has been committed and a news outlet reports on a suspect. - You should be emotionally prepared that new information could arise which explains even if not forgiving the actions of the suspect. e.g. A parent kidnapping their own child, and then it turns out that the other parent was abusing the child. For taking stuff to the Xtreme, taxes is an approachable subject. Say if you have 100% tax rate, you might be looking at communism, but you might also look at a pirate ship where the captain divvies up the booty. Another example would be the mental exercise of trying to figure out that maximum possible current through a conductor. Even superconductors suffer from magnetic pinching, but if you have ever seen a plasma globe at a science fair you might discover the magnetohydrodynamic phenomena of Alfven waves. - The taxes example is more direct than these about current, but I'd argue the physics discoveries are more interesting. I very often see dogmatic beliefs in science. The mistake of 'taking the map for the terrain' is common. People will for example pick a favorite interpretation of quantum mechanics and then with complete conviction deny that effects predicted by other interpretations are worth looking for, because their interpretation excludes it. - Why try to travel around the globe? You will fall off the edge! Figuring out that someone is making this mistake can be frustrating and time-consuming. Counter-example takes the most creativity, and can be constructed to be too impenetrable. Recently I argued that if the cost of healthcare in the US would best represent the optimum quality, then countries with just as good service and universal healthcare too would be bankrupt. For paradoxes, you can apparently find a very long list on Wikipedia. I don't remember ever having gone out specifically looking for paradoxes. I have encountered them during sessions of deep pondering as apparent contradictions where I expected none, so to me they are nameless. Hope this helps! I might turn these two posts into an article... :o)
- mezod 9y ago
  please make sure I hear about such article at mezood @ gmail :)

drakonka 9y ago

Thank you, this is very relevant to me right now. It is easy to become overly invested in your idea of what a narrative should be.