Value Faith The Illusion of Explanatory Depth: The Mistake of Familiarity for Understanding
We live in a world of complex systems, and I am sure you know that already. From the plumbing in…
Psychology
Stacking the Evidence: How to Become the Man You Think You Are
Most men carry a secret “hero fantasy” in the back of their minds. It is like a vivid mental movie…
Waking the Conscience: Moral Vigilance in the Face of Systemic Pressure
I want to assume that at some point in your life, directly or indirectly, you have heard that the human…
Mount Stupid: The Paradox of Knowledge and Overconfidence
There is a stage in learning that I have come to recognize in myself and in many others. It is…
Stop Before It Costs You More: The Self-Development Lesson of Riding The Wrong Train
There is a proverb that is often attributed to Japanese wisdom, that goes like this: “If you get on the…
Pattern Recognition: One of Humans’ Most Important Skills
With our world overflowing with information, noise, and uncertainty, there is one skill that quietly outshines all others: Pattern recognition.…
The Illusion of Competence: How the Dunning-Kruger Effect Blinds Us
There is a strange paradox in human thinking: The people who know the least too many times feel the most…
Confirmation Bias: To See Clearly, You Must Look Beyond What Confirms You
Obviously we all like to believe that we are rational, clear thinkers; that our decisions are guided by truth, by…
The Self-Serving Bias: Why We Take Credit but Shift the Blame
Imagine that you just got a promotion at work. You feel proud, confident, validated. Naturally, you tell yourself you earned…
Actor-Observer Bias: Why We Judge Ourselves and Others Differently
Imagine you are a student who just received a low grade on a test. Immediately, your mind searches for explanations:…