Trigger Strategy is now Tentacles 104: Snakes in a cave, or why biases aren't bugs
May 18, 2025
The conversation captures the sunny energy of gardening while unpacking cognitive biases and their impact on decision-making. Listeners will explore the balance between heuristics as helpful tools and their pitfalls. The discussion dives into concepts like ergodicity, accompanied by quirky examples such as Russian roulette. The nuances of the Prisoner's Dilemma reveal how loyalty can overshadow self-interest. Finally, a lighthearted look at the focusing illusion and practical tests offers a refreshing perspective on our worries.
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Gardening Not Engineering
- Tom Kirwin and Corissa use gardening as a metaphor for business instead of engineering.
- They say you can't control everything and must accept uncertainty about outcomes.
The Wheel That Flipped A Worldview
- Corissa discovered a 'wheel of bias' that flipped her world and sparked deep study.
- She tried to plan to stop biases but found it far more complicated.
Biases Work As Useful Heuristics
- Tom Kirwin says most cognitive biases are useful heuristics that normally help decision-making.
- Experts can lean on these patterns when they know the context deeply.
