The key to wisdom...

...linked from MR.

A couple years ago, I was talking the Institute’s Bob Johansen about wisdom, and he explained that – to deal with an uncertain future and still move forward – they advise people to have “strong opinions, which are weakly held.” They've been giving this advice for years, and I understand that it was first developed by Instituite Director Paul Saffo. Bob explained that weak opinions are problematic because people aren’t inspired to develop the best arguments possible for them, or to put forth the energy required to test them. Bob explained that it was just as important, however, to not be too attached to what you believe because, otherwise, it undermines your ability to “see” and “hear” evidence that clashes with your opinions. This is what psychologists sometimes call the problem of “confirmation bias.”

How very true; one needs to strongly believe in one's arguments, but at the same time be open to evidence that goes contrary to one's opinions.

This reminds me of John Kenneth Galbraith and his thoughts on convential wisdom (also reproduced in a chapter in Freakonomics).

He noted "We associate truth with convenience, with what closely accords with self-interest and personal well-being or promises best to avoid awkward effort or unwelcome dislocation of life. We find highly acceptable what contributes most to self-esteem"

Ideas are "complex, and to comprehend their character is mentally tiring. Therefore we adhere, as though to a raft, to those ideas which represent our understanding"

Thinking is hard-work, but surely that means that we try to think MORE, not less, right?