Gurwinder Bhogal, a programmer and writer known for his sharp insights on human nature, shares his thoughts on the complexities of social dynamics. He discusses why asking questions can be selfish and how the fear of being wrong often trumps the desire to be right. Bhogal explores cancel culture's uneven impact, the importance of empathy in debate, and the perils of censorship in today's media landscape. He also touches on the propagation of ideologies and the psychological barriers to genuine self-expression, making for a thought-provoking conversation.
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insights INSIGHT
Chilling Effect of Censorship
Censorship doesn't change opinions, it just masks them, leading to performative beliefs.
This creates situations like the Abilene paradox, where everyone pretends to believe something they don't.
insights INSIGHT
Opinions and Status
People's opinions are now tied to status, making performative opinions even more important.
The digital age separates persona from person, creating a gulf between professed and actual beliefs.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Epistemic Humility
Focus on being less wrong instead of trying to be right.
Avoiding stupidity is easier than achieving genius and leads to consistent long-term advantage.
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In 'The Strange Death of Europe,' Douglas Murray argues that European civilization is under threat due to two primary factors: the mass migration of new peoples into Europe and the continent's low birth rates, combined with a loss of faith in its beliefs, traditions, and legitimacy. Murray contends that Europe's exhaustion from its historical burdens, its post-Christian and post-modern identity crisis, and its inability to defend its values are leading to a cultural and demographic transformation that may result in the end of Europe as it has historically existed. The book is characterized by its polarizing reception, with some praising its insightful reporting and others criticizing its perceived xenophobic and paranoid tone[1][3][5].
The Madness of Crowds
Gender, Race and Identity
Douglas Murray
In this book, Douglas Murray investigates the dangers of 'woke' culture and the rise of identity politics. He examines the most controversial issues of the current era, including sexuality, gender, technology, and race, and critiques the Marxist foundations of modern social justice movements. Murray argues that modern attitudes towards these issues have been distorted by a sense of victimhood and the negative impact of political correctness. The book is divided into sections dealing with different forms of identity politics and includes interludes on the impact of technology and the need to relearn the ability to forgive in an increasingly online culture. Murray's work has received both praise and criticism, with some reviewers appreciating his bravery and others criticizing his approach as provocative and divisive.
Never Split the Difference
Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
Tahl Raz
Chris Voss
VOSS/RAZ
This book, written by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and co-author Tahl Raz, provides a masterclass in influencing others through negotiation. It distills the Voss method, revealing skills such as establishing rapport, creating trust with tactical empathy, and transforming conflict into collaboration. The book is filled with real-life examples from Voss's career, illustrating how these techniques can be applied in both professional and personal life to achieve goals and defuse potential crises.
The Ape that Understood the Universe
Steve Stewart-Williams
The book delves into how humans evolved from mere apes into beings capable of reshaping the planet and understanding the universe. It draws on evolutionary psychology and cultural evolutionary theory to explain human behavior, sex differences, sexual behavior, altruistic tendencies, and culture. The author uses the perspective of a hypothetical alien scientist to examine human nature, highlighting how genes and memes interact to shape our species. The book discusses the evolution of culture, including the natural selection of memes, and how this transformation has enabled humans to dominate the planet and explore beyond it.
The Scout Mindset
None
Julia Galef
Dans "The Scout Mindset", Julia Galef explore la différence entre deux approches mentales : le "Mindset du Soldat", axé sur la défense de ses croyances, et le "Mindset du Scout", qui privilégie la recherche de la vérité, même si cela remet en question ses propres convictions. L'auteure argumente que le Mindset du Scout est essentiel pour une prise de décision rationnelle et efficace. Le livre propose des outils et des techniques pour cultiver ce Mindset, en encourageant l'ouverture d'esprit, la remise en question et l'acceptation de l'incertitude. Galef utilise des exemples concrets et des anecdotes pour illustrer ses points, rendant le livre accessible à un large public. L'ouvrage est une invitation à adopter une approche plus objective et plus rigoureuse dans la formation de ses opinions et dans la prise de décisions.
Gurwinder Bhogal is a programmer and a writer.
Gurwinder is one of my favourite Twitter follows. He’s written yet another megathread exploring human nature, cognitive biases, mental models, status games, crowd behaviour and social media. It's fantastic, and today we go through some of my favourites.
Expect to learn why asking questions is the most selfish thing you can do, why people create hatred in an attempt to feel love, the real danger of censorship, why it's more important to avoid being wrong than try to be right, what postjournalism is and why you need to understand it, how to win every debate even if you lose, why you should never take an internet insult personally and much more...
Modern Wisdom 
