THREAD MUSIC:
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. The Uncomfortable Truth About Your Brain
3. The Identity Trap
4. The Practice of Genuine Doubt
5. The Hard Parts Nobody Talks About
6. The Social Cost
7. Practical Techniques That Actually Work
8. The Really Hard Stuff
9. Why This Matters (Conclusion)
Introduction
If we're being honest, most people who think they're unbiased are full of shit. I've spent years watching people (including myself) claim objectivity while doing mental gymnastics to justify whatever they already believed. It's not that they're lying, no, but it's that they genuinely think they're being rational. And that's exactly the problem.
REAL intellectual honesty is way harder than most people imagine, and it's usually painful. After spending a couple of years trying to actually practice this stuff (and failing repeatedly), I've noticed some patterns about what works and what doesn't
The Uncomfortable Truth About Your Brain
First, we need to accept something that absolutely fucking sucks: Your brain isn't designed for truth-seeking. It's designed for survival and social cooperation.
This means it comes pre-loaded with a bunch of cognitive biases that worked great for our ancestors but are absolutely terrible for figuring out what's actually true.
If you really think about it, when was the last time you changed your mind about something important? No, I don't mean small shit like which restaurant has the best pizza. I mean core beliefs about politics, religion, morality, or your fundamental worldview. If you're like most people, it happens rarely, if ever. That should worry you.
The thing is, we're all wrong about a shitton of stuff. We have to be. Look at history. Pretty much everyone who ever lived was wrong about most things they believed. Why would we be any different? The math doesn't work out for us to be the special generation that finally figured it all out.
First, we need to accept something that absolutely fucking sucks: Your brain isn't designed for truth-seeking. It's designed for survival and social cooperation.
This means it comes pre-loaded with a bunch of cognitive biases that worked great for our ancestors but are absolutely terrible for figuring out what's actually true.
If you really think about it, when was the last time you changed your mind about something important? No, I don't mean small shit like which restaurant has the best pizza. I mean core beliefs about politics, religion, morality, or your fundamental worldview. If you're like most people, it happens rarely, if ever. That should worry you.
The thing is, we're all wrong about a shitton of stuff. We have to be. Look at history. Pretty much everyone who ever lived was wrong about most things they believed. Why would we be any different? The math doesn't work out for us to be the special generation that finally figured it all out.
The Identity Trap
So, people usually fuck up at attempting to be unbiased by trying to strip away all their biases while maintaining their existing identity. But your identity is itself a massive source of bias. The moment you start thinking of yourself as a liberal, conservative, Christian, atheist, rationalist, or whatever else, you've created a force field that automatically deflects certain ideas and attracts others.
I remember the first time I really got this. I had spent years building my identity around being a "rational person." Then I noticed I was dismissing certain spiritual concepts without actually engaging with them, simply because they didn't fit my rationalist self-image. The identity I built around being rational was actually making me less rational.
The solution isn't to have no identity, because that's probably impossible and maybe not even desirable. The trick is to hold your identities loosely and be willing to modify or discard them when evidence demands it. This is really fucking hard and it hurts, but it's necessary
So, people usually fuck up at attempting to be unbiased by trying to strip away all their biases while maintaining their existing identity. But your identity is itself a massive source of bias. The moment you start thinking of yourself as a liberal, conservative, Christian, atheist, rationalist, or whatever else, you've created a force field that automatically deflects certain ideas and attracts others.
I remember the first time I really got this. I had spent years building my identity around being a "rational person." Then I noticed I was dismissing certain spiritual concepts without actually engaging with them, simply because they didn't fit my rationalist self-image. The identity I built around being rational was actually making me less rational.
The solution isn't to have no identity, because that's probably impossible and maybe not even desirable. The trick is to hold your identities loosely and be willing to modify or discard them when evidence demands it. This is really fucking hard and it hurts, but it's necessary
The Practice of Genuine Doubt
Most people confuse skepticism with cynicism. Actual skepticism isn't about doubting everything but calibrating your confidence levels appropriately. This means:
1. Actually assigning probabilities to your beliefs (even if just roughly)
2. Updating those probabilities when you get new information
3. Being honest about your uncertainty levels
When someone tells me they're absolutely certain about something complex, whether it's politics, economics, philosophy, whatever - I know they're either:
1. fucking lying their ass off
or
2. deluding themselves.
The world is too complicated for that kind of certainty.
Most people confuse skepticism with cynicism. Actual skepticism isn't about doubting everything but calibrating your confidence levels appropriately. This means:
1. Actually assigning probabilities to your beliefs (even if just roughly)
2. Updating those probabilities when you get new information
3. Being honest about your uncertainty levels
When someone tells me they're absolutely certain about something complex, whether it's politics, economics, philosophy, whatever - I know they're either:
1. fucking lying their ass off
or
2. deluding themselves.
The world is too complicated for that kind of certainty.
The Hard Parts Nobody Talks About
Here's the shit that makes this genuinely difficult:
1. You have to be willing to look retarded. Like, really retarded.
You have to be okay with saying "I don't know" or "I was wrong" in front of people who matter to you.
2. You have to accept that some of your most cherished beliefs might be wrong.
Not just intellectually accept it - emotionally accept it.
3. You have to develop comfort with contradiction and ambiguity.
Most important questions don't have clean answers.
4. You have to be willing to piss people off.
Groups hate nothing more than someone who won't fully commit to their narrative.
Here's the shit that makes this genuinely difficult:
1. You have to be willing to look retarded. Like, really retarded.
You have to be okay with saying "I don't know" or "I was wrong" in front of people who matter to you.
2. You have to accept that some of your most cherished beliefs might be wrong.
Not just intellectually accept it - emotionally accept it.
3. You have to develop comfort with contradiction and ambiguity.
Most important questions don't have clean answers.
4. You have to be willing to piss people off.
Groups hate nothing more than someone who won't fully commit to their narrative.
The Social Cost
This is probably the biggest barrier for most people. Being genuinely intellectually honest often means being out of step with your social group. Humans are tribal creatures. We want to belong. Being the person who's always saying "Well, actually it's more complicated than that." is a good way to not get invited to parties.
I've lost friends over this stuff. Not because I was a dick about it, but because some people literally cannot handle someone close to them questioning certain beliefs. It sucks ass, but it's part of the package
This is probably the biggest barrier for most people. Being genuinely intellectually honest often means being out of step with your social group. Humans are tribal creatures. We want to belong. Being the person who's always saying "Well, actually it's more complicated than that." is a good way to not get invited to parties.
I've lost friends over this stuff. Not because I was a dick about it, but because some people literally cannot handle someone close to them questioning certain beliefs. It sucks ass, but it's part of the package
Practical Techniques That Actually Work
After years of trial and error, here are some practices I've found helpful:
1. The Steelman Rule:
Before criticizing any position, write down the strongest possible version of that position. Then make it stronger. Only then are you allowed to critique it.
2. The Reversal Test:
For any belief you hold, ask yourself: "If I had been born into a family that believed the opposite, what arguments would I find convincing?"
3. The Confidence Calibration Game:
Regularly make predictions with probability estimates. Write them down. Check back later. See how well calibrated you actually are.
4. The "What Would Change My Mind?" Test:
For every important belief, write down exactly what evidence would make you change your mind. If you can't think of anything, that's a red flag.
After years of trial and error, here are some practices I've found helpful:
1. The Steelman Rule:
Before criticizing any position, write down the strongest possible version of that position. Then make it stronger. Only then are you allowed to critique it.
2. The Reversal Test:
For any belief you hold, ask yourself: "If I had been born into a family that believed the opposite, what arguments would I find convincing?"
3. The Confidence Calibration Game:
Regularly make predictions with probability estimates. Write them down. Check back later. See how well calibrated you actually are.
4. The "What Would Change My Mind?" Test:
For every important belief, write down exactly what evidence would make you change your mind. If you can't think of anything, that's a red flag.
The Really Hard Stuff
The deepest challenge isn't intellectual - it's emotional. You have to develop a kind of emotional resilience to uncertainty and being wrong. This isn't taught in schools. In fact, most of our education system rewards the opposite, which is having quick, confident answers.
I've found meditation helpful for this, not in some spiritual sense (although it did strengthen my faith), but as practical training in sitting with uncertainty and discomfort. The ability to say "I don't know" and feel okay about it is a superpower.
The deepest challenge isn't intellectual - it's emotional. You have to develop a kind of emotional resilience to uncertainty and being wrong. This isn't taught in schools. In fact, most of our education system rewards the opposite, which is having quick, confident answers.
I've found meditation helpful for this, not in some spiritual sense (although it did strengthen my faith), but as practical training in sitting with uncertainty and discomfort. The ability to say "I don't know" and feel okay about it is a superpower.
Why This Matters (Conclusion)
The world is getting more complex, not less. The ability to think clearly and change your mind when warranted is a survival skill, not some intellectual hobby.
The cost of being wrong is going up. The penalty for being trapped in ideological bubbles is getting steeper. We're facing challenges that require us to actually figure out what's true, not just what feels good or fits our preferred narrative.
This isn't about being some perfectly rational robot. It's about developing the mental tools to navigate an increasingly complex world. It's hard work, it's uncomfortable, and it never really ends. But, trust me, it's worth it.
The weird thing is is that once you really commit to this path, it becomes weirdly liberating. There's a strange kind of freedom in admitting you might be wrong about everything. It opens up possibilities you couldn't see before.
Just don't fucking expect it to make you popular at parties
The world is getting more complex, not less. The ability to think clearly and change your mind when warranted is a survival skill, not some intellectual hobby.
The cost of being wrong is going up. The penalty for being trapped in ideological bubbles is getting steeper. We're facing challenges that require us to actually figure out what's true, not just what feels good or fits our preferred narrative.
This isn't about being some perfectly rational robot. It's about developing the mental tools to navigate an increasingly complex world. It's hard work, it's uncomfortable, and it never really ends. But, trust me, it's worth it.
The weird thing is is that once you really commit to this path, it becomes weirdly liberating. There's a strange kind of freedom in admitting you might be wrong about everything. It opens up possibilities you couldn't see before.
Just don't fucking expect it to make you popular at parties
