How to think more clearly
- Reality has a surprising amount of detail
Building stairs and fences taught Salvatier that every real task hides countless details, which is why experts miss what they don't know to look for and get stuck.
- Fake Explanations
Yudkowsky argues that an explanation able to fit any outcome predicts nothing, so saying "because of heat conduction" without real expectations is just magic dressed in scientific words.
- Think Like Reality
Yudkowsky argues that calling quantum physics weird exposes bad intuitions, since surprise lives in the model, so you should reshape them until reality feels normal.
- The Seduction of Pessimism
Housel argues pessimism sounds smarter than optimism because short-term shocks are easier to recall and we underestimate how people adapt, as Jeremy Siegel's long horizon and the oil cycles show.
- You Are NOT Dumb, You Just Lack the Prerequisites
Lelouch argues that struggling with hard subjects like math usually means missing prerequisites rather than ability, which he found after 150 days of rebuilding from the basics.
Next path: Is everything getting worse?