Avoiding Ideology and Embracing Critical Thought

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The insight in this snip is about avoiding ideology and embracing critical thought. The speaker suggests that simplifying reality through ideologies can limit one's thinking and lead to jumping to conclusions. They advocate for skepticism towards isms and propose embracing ideas piecemeal instead. This involves being open to ideas from people we don't like and acknowledging that we may not adopt all the viewpoints of those we do like. The speaker utilizes the example of political labels in the US to highlight the importance of discussing specific issues rather than subscribing to a particular ideology. They also argue that applying more labels to oneself can hinder thinking and absolve one of the responsibility of critical thought. The speaker emphasizes the necessity of active thinking and suggests that it is a luxury one cannot afford to forego. Happiness, according to the speaker, is partly dependent on genetics but the other 50% is within our control. They mention the work of Sonia Lombersky, who suggests that we should focus on controlling the aspects of our happiness that are within our power. The speaker also briefly discusses their interest in stoicism and how it influenced their thinking.

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Derek Sivers (@sivers) is an author of philosophy and entrepreneurship, known for his surprising, quotable insights and pithy, succinct writing style. He is a former musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown, who sold his first company, CDBaby, for $22 million and gave all the money to charity.

Derek’s books (How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Your Music and People, Anything You Want) and newest projects are at his website: sive.rs. His upcoming book is Useful Not True.

Please enjoy!

P.S. To follow the exact step-by-step "Tech Independence" instructions from Derek, please visit sive.rs/ti.

This episode is brought to you by Allbirds! Allbirds are incredibly comfortable shoes, sustainably made, with design rooted in simplicity. I’ve been wearing Allbirds for the last several months, and I’ve been alternating between two pairs. I started with the Tree Runners (in marine blue, if you’re curious), and now I’m wearing the Tree Dashers, and the Tree Dashers are my current “daily driver.” I stick with the blue hues, and the Dashers are in buoyant blue. The color pops, and I’ve received a ton of compliments.

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This episode is also brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is an app that helps you save and invest your money. Right now, you can earn 4.3% APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Cash Account. That’s more than eleven times more interest than if you left your money in a savings account at the average bank, according to FDIC.gov.

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[06:16] The Derek Sivers School of Enough.

[11:24] Scuba diving and empathy lessons in Iceland.

[16:13] Categories we apply to ourselves and others.

[22:46] Derek’s people compass.

[28:14] How to secure your tech independence.

[1:05:19] The unoptimized life.

[1:16:37] The meaning of Derek’s upcoming book, Useful Not True.

[1:32:55] The problem with moral relativism and other -isms.

[1:51:24] Giant leaps.

[2:00:10] Finding and asking mentors for help.

[2:08:18] Games.

[2:12:26] The wisdom of quitting when you’re ahead.