Think Like a Freak - 01

Knowing what to measure, and how to measure it, can make a

complicated world less so.

The conventional wisdom is often wrong.

It’s easy to let your biases———political, intellectual, or

otherwise———color your view of the world.

A growing body of research suggests that even the 

smartest people tend to seek out evidence that

confirms what they already think, rather than new information 

that would give them a more robust强健的 view of reality.

It’s also tempting诱人的 to run with a herd群体. 

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Even on the most important issues of the day, 

we often adopt the views of our friends, families, and colleagues.

Running with the herd means we are quick to

embrace★接受 the status quo现状, slow to change our minds, 

and happy to delegate托付 our thinking.

Another barrier to thinking like a Freak is that most people are too busy to

rethink the way they think—or to even spend much time thinking at all.

When was the last time you sat for an hour of pure, unadulterated thinking?

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 “Few people think more than two

or three times a year,” Shaw reportedly said. “I have made an international

reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.”

==CHAPTER 2 The Three Hardest Words in the English Language:

  ★I don't know★

  

Everyone’s entitled有资格的 to their own opinion but not to their own facts.

Things we hold to be true but which may not be easily verified.

What we “know” can plainly简单地 be sculpted刻画 by political or 

religious views.

political and religious and business leaders 

who “supply beliefs when it will increase their own financial or

political returns.”

Despite spending more time with themselves than with any 

other person, people often have surprisingly poor

insight into their skills and abilities.

Making grandiose浮夸的 assumptions about your abilities and failing to

acknowledge what you don’t know can lead, unsurprisingly, to disaster.

Every time we pretend to know something, we are doing the

same: protecting our own reputation rather than 

promoting the collective集体的 good. 

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None of us want to look stupid, or at least overmatched, by admitting

we don’t know an answer. The incentives动机 to fake it are simply too strong.

When it comes to solving problems, one of the best ways to start is by

putting away your moral compass.