Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
I really enjoy science podcasts, science writing, and trying to think rationally and scientifically when I observe and consider the world. Within science, when we approach the world to better understand the connections that take place, we try to isolate the variables acting on our observations or experiments. We try to separate ourselves from the … Continue reading Embodied Cognition
On August 12th, Tyler Cowen released a podcast interview with Stanford Economics Professor Nicholas Bloom on his podcast Conversations with Tyler. In response to a question from Cowen about making adjustments in his life, Bloom said the following: "For me, I really like to read broadly rather than deeply — sounds an odd thing to say. … Continue reading Making Connections From Rich Representations of Things
Motivated reasoning is a major problem for those of us who want to have beliefs that accurately reflect the world. To live is to have preferences about how the world operates and relates to our lives. We would prefer not to endure suffering and pain, and would rather have comfort, companionship, and prosperity. We would … Continue reading Accepting Unsound Arguments
How much should you trust your intuitions? The answer to the question depends on your level of expertise with the area in which you have intuitions. If you cook with a certain pan on a stove every day, then you are probably pretty good with trusting your intuition for where the temperature should be set, … Continue reading Overconfidence
"The evidence is persuasive," writes Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow, "activities that impose high demands on System 2 require self-control, and the exertion of self-control is depleting and unpleasant. Unlike cognitive load, ego depletion is at least in part a loss of motivation." Yesterday I wrote about our misconceptions regarding individual self-control. … Continue reading Self-Control Depletion, Continued
A theme that runs through a lot of the writing that I do, influenced by Stoic thinkers such as Marcus Aurelius and modern academics and productivity experts like Cal Newport, is that we don't have as much control over our lives as we generally believe. Writings from Aurelius show us how much happens beyond our … Continue reading Depleting Self-Control
I have written in the past about how I think I probably put too much emphasis on evolutionary biology, especially considering brains, going all the way back to when our human ancestors liven in small tribes as hunter-gatherers. Perhaps it is because I look for it more than others, but I feel as though characteristics … Continue reading Thinking Fast and Evolution
A little while back I wrote a blog post centered around a quote from Cal Newport, "You have a finite amount of willpower that becomes depleted as you use it." The idea is that our brains get tired, and as they get tired, they become worse at practicing self control. When you are exhausted, … Continue reading Limited Effort
System 1, in Daniel Kahneman's picture of the mind, is the part of our brain that is always on. It is the automatic part of our brain that detects simple relationships in the world, makes quick assumptions and associations, and reacts to the world before we are even consciously aware of anything. It is contrasted … Continue reading Detecting Simple Relationships
In the world of sports, I have always enjoyed the saying that someone is so good at something they make it look easy. While I usually hear the saying in relation to physical activity, it also extends to other generally challenging activities – Kobe made the fadeaway jumper look easy, Tyler Cowen makes blogging look … Continue reading Skill Versus Effort