How to Think in Writing

The emotional tone of these questions is, in my head, lovingly curious; I’m not trying to put myself down. I’m trying not to kill ideas. I want to help them evolve and spill forth more insight. Often this dialogue ends with me changing my mind about several premises and coming to a different conclusion, but the original idea remains the seed—no les

Since the goal is to find flaws in our guesses (so that we can change our minds, refine our mental models and our language, and be more right) unfolding a claim through an explanation is progress. Even if the explanation is wrong.

“It must be true!” Ten seconds later, someone would come up with a counterexample that proved him wrong. But being right wasn’t the point: getting a better understanding was.

Forcing the diffuse ideas and impressions in your head into a definite statement is an art form. You have to grab hold of what is floating and make it rigid and sharp. It can feel almost embarrassing–revealing your ignorance with as much vulnerability as possible.