Rationally Speaking #161 - Tom Griffiths and Brian Christian on "Algorithms to Live By"
Jun 12, 2016
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Tom Griffiths and Brian Christian, co-authors of 'Algorithms to Live By', explore how computer algorithms can solve everyday problems like choosing the right apartment or managing career choices. They discuss the 37 percent rule for effective decision-making and balance the efficiency of algorithms with human intuition. The duo highlights prioritization strategies to tackle procrastination and shares insights on optimizing life’s many choices, emphasizing the importance of understanding context and the emotional aspects of decision-making.
Algorithms like the 37% rule provide systematic strategies for making decisions, especially in aspects like renting or career planning.
Balancing algorithmic approaches with human intuition is essential, as instinct can complement structured decision-making in navigating life's choices.
Deep dives
Understanding Algorithms in Human Decision Making
Algorithms can enhance human decision-making by providing structured approaches to everyday choices. Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths highlight how algorithms, often used in computer science, can be applied to personal situations, such as deciding when to make an offer on an apartment. They introduce concepts like the 37% rule, which suggests that individuals should explore a fixed percentage of options before committing to the best one they find after that. This method provides a systematic way to manage choices while balancing the costs associated with losing options.
The Role of Intuition and Overthinking
A key insight is that human intuition often complements algorithmic thinking rather than contradicting it. By recognizing the limits of complex algorithms, Griffiths and Christian argue that trusting our instincts is also valuable in decision-making processes. The discussion emphasizes that while algorithms can advise on structured strategies, humans should not disregard their gut feelings and intuitive judgments. Understanding when to rely on each approach is crucial for effective decision-making.
Explore-Exploit Problem in Career Decisions
The explore-exploit trade-off is pivotal in navigating career choices, particularly for young professionals. The recommendation is to initially focus on exploration by trying various opportunities to determine personal interests and strengths. The guests point out that taking a broad approach allows for discovering fulfilling paths that can define long-term career trajectories. They emphasize that as individuals gain clarity about their preferences, they can shift towards exploiting the best options based on their experiences.
Time Management and Scheduling Algorithms
Optimal scheduling strategies can drastically improve time management across tasks and projects. The guests outline various algorithms, such as weighted shortest processing time, which consider both the importance and duration of tasks. By prioritizing tasks with the highest value-to-time ratio, individuals can address their to-do lists more effectively. They argue that clearly defining the metrics of success and the goals of task management can lead to significantly better outcomes.
Julia chats with the authors of Algorithms to Live By, about how to apply key algorithms from computer science to our real life problems. For example, deciding which apartment to rent, planning your career, and prioritizing your projects. In the process, they discuss the assumptions that underlie those algorithms (and what to do about the fact that those assumptions are inevitably violated by the messy real world), and why procrastination might actually be the right algorithm for the wrong problem.
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