We often look back on past events and see them with the same wise perspective we see in the Chinese farmer. We see that the things we thought were so terrible at the time actually ended up being good for us in the long run. But almost no one talks about their lives in the moment with this type of insightful ambiguity. We are always sure of what is

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The key to overcoming your biases is found deep within your intentions. Overcoming and optimizing yourself must be more deeply embedded in your desires, in your identity, than the desires that threaten to undermine it. The desires to be competent, to be unique, and even to be right, must all fall short of the desire for self-mastery. You must come

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The second, deeper layer of cognitive psychitecture is motivational. Motivated biases are not little bugs in the system. They are the system functioning as intended. I am not just talking to conspiracy theorists or religious fanatics or political ideologues here. Everyone has cherished beliefs. And we can’t simply will these beliefs away. We have

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Confirmation bias is responsible for the fact that we tend to look only for information that confirms our existing theories, beliefs, and worldview at the expense of those that conflict with them. We get so attached to these views that even when conflicting evidence is forced upon us, it often only makes us defensive, strengthening our original

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Most people recognize the need for critical thinking. Even most schools and universities try to teach these skills. But they miss the point. Learning critical thinking skills is no more likely to cause someone to think critically than it is to provide them with ammunition for arguing against whatever ideas they don’t want to accept. The tools of

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People who have learned of these biases and the methods for countering them often refer to themselves as critical thinkers, freethinkers, or rationalists. These people often make use of the debiasing methods we have covered to attempt to see the world more clearly, and these methods can be effective in the right circumstances. But the

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You need to work to build the habit of noticing the indicators of flawed thinking and beliefs. The feelings of confusion, surprise, and lack of clarity surrounding some views should sound alarm bells, triggering you to further investigate. Consider the reasons why your initial judgments might be flawed before forming important views. Simply adding

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There are many thinking tools you can add to your arsenal of alternate algorithms. By internalizing models and principles for specific domains of reasoning, you can replace old bias patterns with better, more accurate ones. There are many logical, statistical, and economic principles you can learn to maximize accurate beliefs and good decisions.

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Perhaps as you read over these biases you accepted the consistently irrational tendencies we all share. Or maybe, you thought to yourself, “Well, I can see that most people would have that bias, but I don’t think I have that one.” Well, I’ve got another one for you. Bias blind spot refers to the tendency to believe one is immune to the same biases

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