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Some of you have written to me and asked how I work through the “too hard” pile of things I need to come back to in the future. For me, I keep a system of thought files, on specific topics, and spend several weeks working through them, until I have nothing else to add. They…
With the benefit of hindsight, I now realize that the curriculum committee in my small farm town growing up was made up of visionary geniuses. Either that, or they were a bunch of eccentrics who were paranoid about everything. Maybe both.
This is the second in a three-part post on narcissism; the topic du jour for our mental model study. We’ve been talking about narcissism for the past few days and one interesting thread that comes up throughout history is that narcissism, despite being horribly destructive and disruptive, can work, in rare situations, in the favor…
Several of the mail bag questions I’ve been getting ask for specific examples of how to look at the world, including the news, through a rational mental model approach. A perfect illustration fell into my lap today so I’m going to group these responses, write this post, and then reply to all of those who…
For water to freeze, it must reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit. For water to boil, it must reach 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The question: Which freezes faster: Room temperature water (say, 75 degrees Fahrenheit) or boiling water (212 degrees Fahrenheit)? The common sense answer would be room temperature water would freeze faster because it is only 43…
On this site, we strive to practice the philosophy of John Stuart Mill, who would eagerly read every side of an argument because he wanted to se that “no scattered particles of important truth are buried and lost in the ruins of exploded error”. That means we each have a fundamental, moral duty to openly…
Mental Model: Mere Exposure Effect or the Familiarity Principle The mere exposure effect, also known as the familiarity principle, describes a phenomenon that causes humans to rate or feel positively about things to which they are frequently and consistently exposed, including other people. All else equal, you will buy products, invest in stocks, frequent establishments,…
It is remarkable how much more enjoyable your life can be when you refuse to participate in situations that you know are going to end poorly, or work with people in environments that you know are going to cause problems. When you see something like this on the horizon, employ the Grandpa Simpson strategy. In…
Mental Model: The Shoichi Yokoi Fallacy Shoichi Yokoi was a Japanese tailor born in 1915. When he was 25 years old, his country sent him to war with the idea that he and his fellow soldiers were to fight to the death and avoid the shame of surrender. In 1944, the United States military seized…
The Japanese have a concept known as Arigata-meiwaku. The rough translation is “Unwelcome Kindness” or “Misplaced Kindness”. Arigata-meiwaku is used to describe a situation in which someone does something for you that you didn’t want them to do, and you tried to avoid it. Nevertheless, the person went through with the plan, determined to help you or…
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