When An Alien, a Cat, and An Octopus Agree, It’s The Truth
When An Alien, a Cat, and An Octopus Agree, It’s The Truth
Everything else is a projection or someone’s interpretation
“Useful, not true.”
I listened to a great interview with Derek Sivers, an author of philosophy, among other things.
He shared the most useful thing he’s learned in the last 5 or so years, and that is skepticism.
Skepticism is the main reason why he’s so happy in life right now. He explained that he practices radical doubt in everything that he does.
A great illustration of exercising radical doubt is the moment in the movie The Matrix when Neo realizes the things coming at him aren’t bullets.
They’re simply code. Computer code, within the Matrix.
Sivers describes the concept of radical doubt as having four main parts.
Nothing is objectively true
Beliefs are placebos
Rules and norms are arbitrary games that can be changed
Refuse ideology
These four ideas allow you to accept ideas individually. Here are some examples.
Nothing is objectively true
True: I’m reading this post.
Not True: My ex gave up on our relationship.
True: My coffee cup is on the desk in front of me.
Not True: You can only apply for this job by submitting your resume on the Internet.
We make a decision about something and then state our decision as a fact. And then we believe them. The only things that are indisputably true are things that “an alien, a cat, and an octopus can agree on”.
All the rest aren’t true, so you can decide to interpret everything else. Even if someone says something to you, your interpretation informs your decision about what it means.
Beliefs are placebos
No beliefs are actual truths unless they’re evidence-based.
A placebo is a measure designed to calm or please someone. When you create a belief to please someone, usually yourself, it’s not true.
Your beliefs inform your decisions.
You can decide one thing about an event or action or you can change your mind and make a different decision. When you decide the thing is a problem, you begin trying to find ways to fix it.
Then you enter into a circular hell. I would think about solutions to the problem, and then I made up reasons why they wouldn’t work.
If you know that your beliefs are placebos, you can let them go. You can always choose the beliefs that will help you right now.
Rules and norms are arbitrary games that can be changed
There are so many examples where you don’t have to accept the rules or norms of society. Rules and norms are changing all the time.
There are exceptions when you consider the norms of morality in society. Even though some societies do have rules or norms that might not be considered moral in other societies. There are certain rules that have to do with not causing harm to others.
One great norm that’s been completely debunked is the norm that everyone has to go into the office to work. Covid taught us that that’s not true. People are perfectly capable of doing valuable work from home.
If you realize the rules aren’t true, it gives you an advantage.
Refuse ideology
Ideologies are simple ideas.
They may be presented as science or philosophy, but that’s someone trying to impose their beliefs on you.
Ideologies often are created to try and explain the complexity of the world and offer remedies that will make it better.
There is no correct ideology. The right one for you is the one that works for you in your life.
Consider practicing radical doubt
It’s healthy to question beliefs.
Skepticism encourages critical thinking and helps you avoid accepting unsupported or false beliefs. When you’re skeptical, you’re less likely to be misled by others.
Questioning things that people present as truths helps you stay curious about the world.
When you look for evidence you’ll learn more. You might discover a new perspective, which leads to personal growth.
All of that adds up to a happier life.
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Sources:
Tim Ferris interviews Derek Sivers, How to Live: 27 conflicting answers, *I used AI for the image, but not for the writing. That’s all mine.