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Veni, Vidi, Vici · Module 1 at a glance

See clearly: the mind's shortcuts

Five habits for a slower look. Noticing which question was answered, and looking for reasons you could be wrong. Testing a view instead of defending it. Meeting the other side at its strongest. Asking where a belief came from.

  1. Lesson 1.1: How the Mind Takes Shortcuts

    Your mind swaps hard questions for easy ones — and doesn't tell you.

    When a question is hard, it often answers an easier one instead. Asked 'Can I trust this person?', it answers 'Do I like this person?' So when a decision matters, ask: 'Did I answer the real question, or an easier one?'

  2. Lesson 1.2: Why Knowing About Bias Isn't Enough

    Spotting bias in others is easier. Seeing your own is the hard part.

    In the studies we read, knowing about a bias, or being warned, made little difference on its own. Telling yourself 'I'll be fair' names a goal, not a way to reach it. Being told to be fair helped less than thinking of reasons you could be wrong. The question worth keeping: 'What are one or two reasons I could be wrong?'

  3. Lesson 1.3: What Gets in the Way of Changing Your Mind?

    When a belief becomes who you are, changing your mind can feel like losing yourself.

    A challenge to such a belief can feel personal, so it is easy to defend it instead of testing it. Told the route you swear by is slower, you may list its good points before checking a map. The question worth keeping: 'Am I defending this view, or testing it?'

  4. Lesson 1.4: How Do You Argue Well?

    Beating the weakest version of an argument proves nothing.

    John Stuart Mill argued that to know your own view, you must know the other side at its strongest. If a friend wants to quit their job, 'they just want an easy life' is easy to argue against. Their real reasons may not be. The question worth keeping: 'Would they accept my version of their view?'

  5. Lesson 1.5: How to Question a Common Belief

    'Everyone knows that' is often the moment checking stops.

    Questioning a belief means asking what it was for, how often it really happens, and what the earliest sources say. For example, a step at work looks pointless; finding out why it was added shows whether it still does a job. The question worth keeping: 'Do I know where this belief came from, and why it's there?'

Hacks Vitae · a free course · hacksvitae.com/courses/veni-vidi-vici/see-clearly

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