The Power of First Principles Thinking

This is an interesting one that goes in many directions! (starting with the Earth sandwich.. 🌏 🥪)

Cedric (💚 🥃 🇸🇬) is an operator who specializes — obsesses? — in learning how to extract knowledge from experts and businesspeople, the people in the trenches actually doing stuff.

In this conversation, we discuss how traditional Chinese businessmen without formal education structure deals, cognitive flexibility theory (it sounds fancy, but it’s quite practical), cognitive transformation theory, and why some people can reach mastery in their fields while others cannot (I really like the “knowledge shield” concept🛡 🤯).

There’s a discussion on keeping an open mind on crypto (are we just too old?), how to re-encode old lessons after you got up in skill level so that you can let go of the things that you originally learned that were wrong, what is a “business biologist” (treating businesses as animals, trying to understand how the environments in which they have evolved have shaped them and why they are adapted to their ecological niches…), etc.

We even talk about Morris Chang’s journey at Texas Instruments and TSMC! (make sure to check out the excellent episode of the Acquired Podcast on TSMC and Chang)

Bonus special segment at the end about the very special science-fiction of author Iain M. Banks.

For a lot more from Cedric, check out the excellent Commonplace (aka Commongcog blog! He discusses the dual branding challenge in the pod…):

* Commonplace - The Commoncog Blog

Listen on Spotify

If you prefer to listen on Spotify, here’s the feed:

* Liberty’s Highlights podcast feed on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Here’s the podcast feed on Apple Podcasts:

* Liberty’s Highlights podcast on Apple

📺 Watch on YouTube

Full Transcript

If you prefer to read or want to save a section in your notes, here’s a convenient transcript of the whole podcast:

* Transcript: Podcast #10 with Cedric Chin

More Liberty Podcasts

For more podcasts, you can see all previous episodes here:

* Liberty’s Highlights Podcast archive

Thank you! 👋

🙌 A Word From Our Sponsor: YOU! 🫵

If you enjoy the podcasts and the newsletter and aren’t already a supporter, please consider joining.

It’s quick and inexpensive, and makes a big difference in making it possible for me to do this full-time and send you more goodies:

Liberty’s Highlights is reader-supported. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. 🤠

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.libertyrpf.com/subscribe