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RJ in NY's avatar

Thanks for this post, David. Have you seen these two videos? Kathryn Schulz’s “On Being Wrong” and Julia Galef’s “Why You Think You’re Right—Even If You’re Wrong” are both great.

https://youtu.be/w4RLfVxTGH4?si=1F0gAKFMEUnyHgvR

https://youtu.be/QleRgTBMX88?si=meaU_PbSk_jFE4YR

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Carl A. Jensen's avatar

This illustrates the basic difference between intelligence and wisdom. Openness to consider contradiction as objectively as possible and humility about the limitations of one's demonstrated abilities are both rare and extremely useful gifts.

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David Cycleback's avatar

Agree. Intellectual humility, knowing what you don't know, and willingness to sincerely consider countering views are essential to critical thinking.

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Shawn Ruby's avatar

Tbh that buys into the same issues. The issue is placing rationalism as a fundamental epistemic approach. Isaac Newton wasn't irrationally also involved in alchemy. His whole physics is literally alchemy. The functions in alchemy are used in chemistry today. They're not using scholastic stuff and they're not staring at things, making assumptions of what the larger picture should be. They're using resonance and splitting light in prisms sort of thing. All your examples point to how rationalism is not fundamentally how we think about things and that the lack of attention to that is how people get caught in shallow political biases.

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irresistible/paradox's avatar

The fool often sees clearer than the genius lost in his own design.

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Byron B. Carrier's avatar

I'm smart enough to admit that my myside bias is a lonely realm. As minister, I liked the atheists, and I never cozied up to astrology, chemtrails, or magaistic "patriotism."

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David Wadleigh's avatar

Your writing flows wonderfully and logically following a path that we are sure is leading us to an epiphany of thought.

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