These are men with bold ideas, but highly critical of their own ideas; they try to find whether their ideas are right by trying to find whether they are not perhaps wrong. They work with bold conjectures and severe attempts at refuting their own conjectures. (Karl Popper)
I am sure I have seen this quote before but I am busy reading `Fooled by Randomness' by Nassim Taleb, and this quote really sat true with the way I am thinking at the moment.
Bold Conjectures, means you are allowed opinions
Severe attempts at refuting your own conjectures, means you should actively and aggressively seek ideas out which threaten your way of thinking.
Something else I liked so far from the book was the idea of `distilled thinking'. Anyone who has played poker with me for any extended period knows I hate rabbit hunting. Rabbit hunting is when even though the hand has ended and been won or lost before all the cards are dealt, the remaining cards are dealt to see what `would have happened'. What would have happened is meaningless, it didn't. It couldn't be less important. In fact even when you win a hand, it doesn't mean you played it write. Winning, then spouting forth about why your strategy or decision was great BECAUSE you won is silly. More important is did you do the right thing given what COULD have happened.
We judge ourselves in life based on what HAS happened. This is also wrong, and fairly useless in helping us go forward. What COULD have happened is far more important.
The loser may have made the best move, and faced with that decision again... it may be best to do what the loser did.
Don't think I would like Taleb in person... social skills may be lacking. But I am very much enjoying the book.
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