How to Use Both Your Wits in a Startup(blog.ycombinator.com)
blog.ycombinator.com
How to Use Both Your Wits in a Startup
http://blog.ycombinator.com/how-to-use-both-your-wits-in-a-startup/
22 comments
I found the writeup valuable in terms of provoking deeper thought and discussion.
However, I think perhaps the author is mixing up 'both wits' (logical vs emotional thinking) with the two systems thinking from the TFaS book(intuitive vs logical thinking), at least in the writeup.
I am more inclined to believe that intuition and logic based thought processes are superior to one that has an emotional dimension, at least for running a business.
As an example, I think if in the Cheezburger case the author was less emotional, he would have responded rather than reacted to the perceived threat- which is arguably a better way to deal with the situation.
Lack of affect(especially fear) is a defining quality of psychopathy, which happens to be very common amongst CEOs [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_in_the_workplace#C...
However, I think perhaps the author is mixing up 'both wits' (logical vs emotional thinking) with the two systems thinking from the TFaS book(intuitive vs logical thinking), at least in the writeup.
I am more inclined to believe that intuition and logic based thought processes are superior to one that has an emotional dimension, at least for running a business.
As an example, I think if in the Cheezburger case the author was less emotional, he would have responded rather than reacted to the perceived threat- which is arguably a better way to deal with the situation.
Lack of affect(especially fear) is a defining quality of psychopathy, which happens to be very common amongst CEOs [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_in_the_workplace#C...
I find not following intuition leads to more regret than following it and being wrong.
The intro calls emotional reasoning "logical reasoning". Fear is an emotion.
The problem with logic is it proceeds from facts. It doesn't account well for unknowns, nor the "unknown unknowns".
The problem with logic is it proceeds from facts. It doesn't account well for unknowns, nor the "unknown unknowns".
Crockford talks about this using the same reference material https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EANG8ZZbRs
Cool. I'll take a look. They are excellent reference materials. :)
Hey HN, this is Ben, the author.
Happy to answer or clarify any questions.
Happy to answer or clarify any questions.
Hi Ben. I enjoyed the article. Perhaps you will find this an interesting read too. https://timeandtimeless.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/experience-...
Thanks!
Interesting article! Do you think there could be a risk of misattributing the cause of the emotion/intuition? After all, people classically misattribute things like arousal, and various aspects of memory. I guess I'm trying to separate how people can be assured they are dimishing biases (e.g. my intuition that the woman is qualified was thrown off by her confident body language) through the process you described, rather than affirming them (e.g. the woman is qualified, but I have been especially critical of her credentials).
Definitely. It takes practice and increasing your awareness of your self. The list of common cognitive biases (even if you narrow it down to the 5 most common ones) can really help frame your self awareness. Highly recommended that you use a list like that when trying to attribute your causes.
Also, at the end of the day, you have to make a judgement about the quality and benefits of the outcome and keep adding that to your System 1 dataset.
Also, at the end of the day, you have to make a judgement about the quality and benefits of the outcome and keep adding that to your System 1 dataset.
Besides "Thinking Fast and Slow", what are some good books you would recommend?
"Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions" by Gary Klein.
It talks about how experienced people can make higher quality decisions by taking into account their intuition vs just trying to decide using logic.
https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Power-People-Make-Decisions/d...
It talks about how experienced people can make higher quality decisions by taking into account their intuition vs just trying to decide using logic.
https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Power-People-Make-Decisions/d...
I mentioned this one as well: Power of Habit: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business-ebook/...
Thinking and Deciding by Jonathan Baron: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-4th-Jonathan-Baron/...
(I say this as someone who has read Thinking, Fast and Slow and other Kahneman books.)
(I say this as someone who has read Thinking, Fast and Slow and other Kahneman books.)
> This is a small preview of understanding how our emotions and brain chemistry affects our performance.
Interesting, what other sources can one look at, to go beyond this small preview?
Interesting, what other sources can one look at, to go beyond this small preview?
It depends on where you start. Much of our cognitive biases and dissonances have to do with what we want to achieve and our view of the self. It's foundational work and an emerging field in science.
If you'd like to explore atheistic consciousness, try Sam Harris.
Descartes' Error is a good book for understanding the relationship between logic and emotion.
Tons of good books on meditation out there. If you want to know more about eastern philosophy, a great short book is the Tao of Pooh. Yes, the bear.
If you'd like to explore atheistic consciousness, try Sam Harris.
Descartes' Error is a good book for understanding the relationship between logic and emotion.
Tons of good books on meditation out there. If you want to know more about eastern philosophy, a great short book is the Tao of Pooh. Yes, the bear.
> Instead of eliminating our intuition, we should be learning to train our massive parallel System 2 to help aid the slower logical System 1 process.
This looks like a typo; "System 1" and "System 2" should be swapped.
This looks like a typo; "System 1" and "System 2" should be swapped.
I really wish TFaS had chosen actual names for the two systems. Maybe it would have introduced bias into the reader's understanding, but it would have made discussion of the concept much easier to read.
Similarly, I don't know why people use the terms "Type 1" and "Type 2" errors when "False positive" and "False negative" are available.
Similarly, I don't know why people use the terms "Type 1" and "Type 2" errors when "False positive" and "False negative" are available.
It became quite obvious that it's hopelessly impossible to eliminate the myriad of nearly infinite biases we all have - something that has been separately established by my own beliefs anyway (Jeremiah 17:9). Not to mention there's a far easier way to limit bias in decision making: Ask a few others for feedback (Proverbs 15:22).
What I find funny is that there is supposedly a "comprehensive" list of "20 Cognitive Biases", as if that somehow covers 90% of one's regular biases in decision making. Everyone is biased in tens of thousands of particular ways simply based on the seemingly infinite different combinations of limited life experiences we have -- and many of those biases are unconscious, unintended, and so subtle that they simply evade detection unless there was another to point them out.
That's why I think it's better to live with bias, which is to say that I ask myself if I'm making a decision that is biased toward love, grace, and kindness. Use your precious "system 2" energy to bias yourself toward those things. It's the same as recognizing counterfeit currency - a man doesn't study the infinite possible counterfeits, he studies every detail of the authentic bill. And through that training to bias himself toward what is genuine, he gains the ability to immediately recognize the counterfeits.