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To Painstakingly Form An Idea And Then Cold-bloodedly Kill It.
The work required to have an opinion is the hard part, that’s why people avoid it.
You have to do the reading.
You have to talk to competent people and understand their arguments.
You have to think about the key variables and how they interact over time.
You have to listen and chase down arguments that run counter to your views.
You have to think about how you might be fooling yourself.
You have to see the issue from multiple perspectives.
You have to think. You need to become your most intelligent critic and have the intellectual honesty to kill some of your best-loved ideas.
27
272 reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
The Respondents And The Chauffers
The difference between the people who do the work and the people who just reel off memorized opinions is huge. When you do the work, you can answer the next question. You know when to follow the rules and when they’ll get you in trouble.
The people who know the memo...
21
172 reads
The (Somewhat) Impartial Judge
Doing the work required to hold an opinion means we can’t make up our mind with a high degree of confidence right away.
Doing the work forces us to challenge our beliefs because we have to argue from both sides. We become the somewhat impartial judge. W...
19
193 reads
I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do.
CHARLIE MUNGER
25
481 reads
The Work Required To Have An Opinion
Doing the work required to hold an opinion means we can argue against ourselves better than others can. Only then can we say, “I can hold this view because I can’t find anyone else who can argue better against my view.”
Doing the work counteracts our natural desire ...
21
237 reads
We all are learning, modifying, or destroying ideas all the time. Rapid destruction of your ideas when the time is right is one of the most valuable qualities you can acquire. You must force yourself to consider arguments on the other side.
CHARLIE MUNGER
22
251 reads
The ability to destroy your ideas rapidly instead of slowly when the occasion is right is one of the most valuable things. You have to work hard on it. Ask yourself what are the arguments on the other side. It’s bad to have an opinion you’re proud of if you can’t s...
CHARLIE MUNGER
23
177 reads
CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
While we all hold an opinion on almost everything, how many of us actually do the work required to have an opinion?
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Related collections
Other curated ideas on this topic:
How to Win an Argument
If you want to win an argument, simply ask the person trying to convince you of something to explain how it would work.
Chances are they have not done the work required to hold an opinion. If they can explain why they are correct and how things would work, you'll learn something...
Probing questions to ask
Once you have the basics of what happened and how long it has been going on, you can move on to asking more probing questions:
- What is the other person saying?
- How does what you've been hearing go against your values?
- What is ...
You Don't Have To Have An Opinion - Day 187
- Think about all the upsetting things you don't know about - people talking behind your back, the valuable things you would've lost without your knowledge. What's your reaction? You don't have one because you don't know about it.
- It is possible to hold no opinion about a negative thin...
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