Whether you are rational enough
Productivity / / December 23, 2019
This is not a test to determine the extent of your rationality. This article is intended to ensure that you are able to note for yourself what habits rational person would you like to work out.
In reading each item, you can ask yourself: 'When I did this the last time? "
Possible answers: never, today / yesterday, last week, last month, last year, more than a year ago.
For an explanation of each item in the paper presents real-life examples of creators and blog users LessWrong (LW), dedicated to the development of rational thought.
1. How do you react to the facts / surprise / arguments
BUT. When you are confronted with something strange, if something goes wrong, as you'd expect, you can easily notice it, to pay particular attention to this and think, "I'm confused. It seems that something is wrong. " Or something similar.
For example, you have planned for Thursday flight. On Tuesday, you'll receive a message on Travelocity with the council to prepare for tomorrow's trip. Do you pay close attention to this discrepancy? In this situation, one of the LW users did not notice the confusion and missed his flight.
B. When someone talks about something that you find it difficult to understand or imagine, you pay attention to it and ask for an example.
Eliezer: "A mathematics student told me that at that moment she studied his group. He mentioned the word "stack". I asked him to give an example of the stack. I was told that the stack is formed from the integers. Then I asked for an example of what is not stack. "
Anna: "My friend said that her boyfriend is behaving" too competitive ". I asked him to explain what that means. It turned out that her boyfriend at the wheel and beside him someone starts the car, he was sure to pull away first. If he is in the passenger seat and the driver does not come in the same way it just comes in a rage. "
IN. When, instead of considering all the options, you start looking for arguments in favor of the most convenient for you, you mark it and make a mental note that this is the wrong strategy.
Anna: "I found myself, I find the reasons for charging the purchase of clothing for yourself to someone else. Instead, I would think, and not be easier to do it herself. "
G. You notice when you start to avoid any unpleasant thoughts for you, and concludes that it is necessary to think carefully about the reasons for this behavior.
Anna: "When I am not at ease, I'm trying to make others think that somewhere at fault. So I feel less vulnerable. I see that this is wrong behavior strategy. But in order to realize this and to formulate for myself, what I'm doing wrong, I took a lot of effort. "
D. You consciously try to take into account not only good, but also the bad newsOr, at least, not to neglect the latter.
Eliezer: "In preparing for future Summits of the singularity (Singularity Summits) we had a brainstorm, during which it became clear that at the previous summits, we do not pay due attention to issues financing. My brain began to resist the negative information, so I deliberately forced himself to remember that bad news is useful too. I paraphrased this principle thus: "Yes, it is true, but despite this fact, over the past few years we have managed to collect a certain amount of money. Therefore it is good that now we have paid attention to this problem. So we can adjust development strategy and correct our mistakes in the next year. ' "
2. Do you know how to analyze and question the opinions of others
BUT. You notice when, for whatever reason to avoid an objective assessment of the situation.
Anna: "I usually catch myself on the fact that, when I criticizeMentally I first take a defensive position. Then I imagine the scenario in which this criticism is unfair, and the version in which it is justified. It helps me to look at the situation more objectively.
For example, once we have been criticized for the fact that we did not provide in due volume of preliminary information on the statistics compiled for Rationality Minicamp. I would start looking for excuses for myself and convince myself that I could not perform this task better, considering how much I had other things to do. On the other hand, I could imagine how it was possible to perform it better. So I would be able to switch your brain on a more successful model of behavior in the future. The second option was much more helpful. It helps to exit the "I in no way blame" to "How do you not? '."
B. You analyze what really stands behind your ideas, emotions and habits, and that was the cause of their formation. With this analysis, you do not allow your mind to start looking for excuses to your thoughts and actions or waive those excuses that do not match the true cause of your behavior.
Anna: "When it turned out that we can not spend Minicamp in the place which had been counted, I found hundreds of reasons to blame all of whom managed to take this place before us. I soon realized what was the main reason of my indignation. I'm just afraid that as a result I will be criticized for exceeding planned expenditures. "
IN. For each argument or abstract rules you are trying to find a specific example.
If someone says about the rule applies to all whole numbers, why not try to test it on a specific number, such as 17?
If you are greatly concerned about the untidiness of your roommate, try to remember a particular occasion when he made a mess and think that it will give you special inconvenience.
G. When you are trying to put to rest one of the hypotheses using certain facts that you present yourself option, in wherein a first hypothesis is true, and check whether these facts confirm this hypothesis. Then you imagine another option, in which the action of the second hypothesis, and check to see if they look the same facts more believable in this case.
Take, for example, the case of Amanda Knox (Amanda Knox). Returning to the camera after hours of interrogation at the station, Amanda took a few times "wheel" and sat down on the twine. The Prosecutor considered that in this way it is celebrated murder. Why not try to challenge this assertion and to imagine a situation in which the above-described fact have testified in favor of the defendant's innocence? Or, it may be wise at first to imagine that apprehend the perpetrators, and then - it is not involved in the crime. Then we can ask ourselves the question: what is the probability that a guilty / innocent of the crime the person will make a "wheel" while in detention? Which option is more believable?
D. You consciously try to evaluate only the most likely options and test them with the help of concrete evidence.
Eliezer: "In speaking of scientific parapsychology, I used the following argument. I said that for me to seriously consider the possibility of real existence of parapsychological phenomena, their statistical probability to be much higher. If there is no statistically significant evidence to support the existence of these phenomena, I will not even take the time to discuss this issue. "
E. When you are faced with the facts that seem underweight to significantly change your ideas or your behavior, but They indicate quite specifically about something that is beyond your habitual perceptions, you try at least a little to extend these representation.
Anna: "I realized that maybe I was not such a good driver, how itself felt when I smashed the rearview mirror. Even though I did not violate any traffic rules and, in all probability, it is was the fault of another driver, this incident could have happened much more likely under option, where I I drive badly. "
3. Do you know how to deal with internal conflicts
BUT. You notice when your conscious part comes into conflict with emotional experiences (for example, when you are fighting the usual fears and common sense). When this happens, you pause and ask yourself, what do you need to listen.
Anna: "When I decided to jump from the roof of the hotel" Stratosphere Las Vegas "I knew that my safety is not threatened. I was aware that 40 000 people have already made similar jumps and remained alive and healthy. But in order to fully understand it, I had to twice to see how all the students in my college, jump down and remain alive. "
B. When you have to difficult choiceYou are trying to define the problem so as to get rid of old prejudices hindering choice, or at least not to dwell on them.
Anna: "My brother-programmer pondered whether he should move to Silicon Valley to find there is a higher paying position. He tried to formulate the problem differently and asked himself if he was already living in Silicon Valley, would agree He moved to Santa Barbara with her friends from college and get there for less than 70,000 dollars (of course, not)".
IN. When you have a difficult choice, you check what the arguments are more concerned with the past and require certain conclusions, and which directly relate to the effects of future solutions.
Eliezer: "I attended to the quality of my sleep and has acquired the online store mattress and a half thousand dollars, which is not refundable. He has managed me cheaper mattress that I have tried in the store nearby. When I slept a few times on this mattress, I realized that it is not very convenient. But I did not dare to spend more money on a new mattress. Then I reminded myself that these fifteen hundred dollars can not come back, but I still want sleep wellยป.
4. What do you do when you know that at an impasse
BUT. If someone does not agree with your point of view, you have to finish building the opponent's assumption to its logical outcome, to be sure, whether in fact these differences right to exist.
Michael Smith: "When someone expressed concern that the training on the development of rationality may be simple fraud, I asked him to imagine the possible negative consequences of such a passage training. The opponent did not find the answer, and the question has been settled. "
B. You try to check any assumptions in practice in order to come to a decision that you will find satisfactory (if it is connected to your internal conflicts) or will be approved by your friends or colleagues (if the problem is discussed in group).
So it puts an end to the constant debate about what to call the current Center for Applied Rationality (Center for Applied Rationality). The founders just interviewed 120 people, some of the proposed center name options respondents are the most successful.
IN. If you caught yourself in that fixated on a certain concept, you mentally put it under the ban, that is to avoid thinking about the words denoting the concept, its synonyms and similar concepts. For example, if you constantly contemplate on whether you are sufficiently clever, reckless Is your girlfriend or if you are trying to do the right thingThen you use this principle.
Anna: "I advised the familiar stop to worry about how justified his actions or the actions of others. He replied that he was just trying to figure out how to do the right thing. I asked him to stop using the word "try" and to think about how to actually running it thinking and that really is for him right. "
5. Whether you are celebrating for ourselves which of your habits need to be revised
BUT. When you are deciding whether to further explore what causes you to doubt, or try something new, you weigh, how in the end result of these actions will enhance your efficiency.
Eliezer: "Thanks to the active pressure from Anna, after months of procrastination, I finally tried to write lyrics paired with a partner. It turned out, my productivity has risen just 4 times (if you count the number of words written per day). "
B. You assess the extent of the potential consequences of your decisions: how fast and how much they may appear.
Anna: "When we are entrusted with a particular person to conduct a survey on the choice of the name of the Center, I was worried that someone else from those who did not give such orders, would be offended. I had to force myself to mentally assess how likely it is really going to happen, how much would resent this man, and how long he would have kept this insult. Only realizing that the consequences are not worth a damn, I was able to calm down. "
Another example: a person is going change jobs and worried about what they thought about it, his parents. To understand what is the opinion of parents should not be the deciding factor in the decision to move to another place, he should mentally estimate how much is actually to be upset by his parents, if he still does, how long they will get used to this fact, and so Further.
6. Easy for you to change their habits and behaviors
BUT. You notice that your thoughts cause you to avoid certain actions.
Anna: "One day, I noticed that every time I click on the" Send "button, I imagine all the possible negative responses that I can get to this message, or imagine that after sending something exactly goes wrong So. It seemed that by clicking on this button every time I get a mini-hit stun. Then I decided to put an end to strikes and taught himself to smile every time you click on this button unhappy. It helped me to buck up and stop postponing cases involving mail, for later. "
B. Do you use the help of friends or other ways of self-control associated with communication.
Anna: "I drink grapefruit juice, it helps my brain work better. At the end of the work I have left some juice. I jokingly told a colleague that if you do not drink it now, it will deteriorate. So I found myself on the fact that the juice had finished just out of greed. "
Eliezer: "When I had problems with insomnia, I told Anna about how I was trying to come up with excuses why I could not go to bed on time. Together with his friend Luke and I came up for a system according to which I noted in a special register plus sign every time I was able to go to sleep at the scheduled time, and minus - when it is not managed. "
IN. To help you form new habitYou are using small incentives.
Eliezer: "Many people have noticed that I have become much more kind and nice after a couple of months ago, I took the habit of rewarding yourself smile or M & M's for the compliments others. I just decided to throw out loud any come to mind positive thoughts about the people around me, and that's what it led to. "
Anna: "Yesterday, I noticed that I did a few small minor tasks, while I had more important things to do. Notice error - it is a good habit, so I decided to reward myself for it a smile or mental pats on the head. So, instead of being engaged in self-flagellation, I learned how to promote yourself approval marks. "
G. You understand that do not have the legendary willpower and try to keep track of what affects your behavior, and control this effect.
Alicorn: "I am not interested in the position of politicians on the issue of gun control, because I know that is very emotionally react to the discussion on the topic, which I consider unacceptable in nature."
Anna: "I pay others to the fact that he made me do daily diary entries."
D. You are able to look at the situation and themselves in this situation from the outside.
Anna: "I usually call parents once a week, but the last couple of weeks, I did not do it. I told myself that I too will not now call my parents because I was too busy. And then I tried to look at this situation from the outside, and realized that I did not have too much to do, and tomorrow I will definitely not free. "