First Blog

The ability to construct a theory is an intellectual achievement; the ability to recognize when it should be dumped is equally important. We have both. Here we look at dumping one. Theories are everywhere. They serve as guideposts for our thoughts, decisions, and thinking. They are at the foundations of knowledge, a huge step beyond mere facts. Theories are the human instruments through which we bundle knowledge into comprehensive expressions, and they shape how we develop new knowledge. Moreover, it is often the attempt to support a theory that leads to its elimination. In science, we find the big ones, usually based on solid evidence from observations. In your company or organization, there are internal theories to keep things running smoothly. You have a bunch of personal theories. You can even call your religion a theory. No theories from antiquity still exist. Other theories evolve, slowly changing over the years or even into entirely new theories. In politics and economics,...

  Consciousness: Everybody's talking about it, especially whether AI has it or will have it, and whether we can ever know. Thus, it's time to define it. It's a big word with many facets. Below, we give the barest outline. The lesson to learn is that measuring it must be difficult. SUGGESTED HIERARCHY For our personal investigation, we organize consciousness into five broad levels, with further explanation to come in the next post. 1. Experiential consciousness: Sensation, perception, pleasure, pain, and subjective experience. 2. Cognitive consciousness: Attention, memory, comprehension, thinking, and reasoning. 3. Reflective consciousness: Self-awareness, introspection, and metacognition. 4. Executive consciousness: Intention, decision-making, volition, and self-regulation. 5. Existential consciousness: Identity, mortality, meaning, purpose, and awareness of one's existence. These categories are so broad and inclusive that one could doubt whether t...

 When facing an entirely new problem, one of the most powerful tools a problem-solver can employ is pattern matching , often referred to as analogical reasoning . Research and reading are essential first steps, but they become most effective when guided by a central question: What does this problem remind me of? This approach involves three distinct cognitive steps: 1. Abstraction: The problem-solver strips away the specific details, or surface features, of a problem to reveal its underlying structure. Rather than viewing a problem as a broken supply chain for widgets, for example, the problem-solver might recognize it as a bottleneck in a flow network. The objective is to identify the fundamental relationships and mechanisms underlying the problem, independent of its particular context. 2. Association: The problem-solver searches a mental library of previous experiences and knowledge for problems with similar underlying structures, even when their subject matter is entirely diff...

  Age Does Not Confer Wisdom Wisdom remains an elusive concept without a single, definitive definition. Rather than a singular trait, it is multifaceted: a summative way of understanding, a unique way of knowing, a fresh lens for viewing the world, a profound way of explaining, a method of exploration, clarity amid a blur, or the peaceful resolution to a search. Wisdom develops through an evolutionary process within the mind, often emerging slowly as one pursues deeper meaning. Many people embark on this pursuit, yet their destination is frequently not true wisdom, but merely a tentative conclusion or a convenient stopping point. One might label this "personal wisdom," but it remains incommensurable with the full depth of human wisdom. True wisdom is transcendental. It rises above the material, the mechanical, the theoretical, and the conceptual model. Its emergence is not bound by chronological age; it can ignite in youth or at any moment between birth and death. It un...

  Two Problems: The Hooks Younger people today face plenty of problems. We are not talking about the usual ones: drug dependency, job prospects, the looming impact of AI, marriage, buying a home, and the like. We are talking about two hooks that some people seem unable to live without. These hooks are embedded during childhood. The first is being hooked on praise . Some parents and teachers lavish praise on children for almost everything they do, whether or not the effort or result deserves it. Eventually, some children come to expect praise for even the slightest effort. The second is being hooked on help . Some children are rarely allowed to get stuck, struggle, or fret over a problem without someone rushing in to lend a hand. They, too, can come to expect help whenever they need it. The problem is that, in adult life, both are often in short supply. If nobody praises you for doing a good job, learn to recognize and appreciate your own accomplishments. If nobody comes to ...

 

We frequently hear that testing is unfair. In multiple-choice examinations, the complaints are numerous, but there are other, less obvious sources of unfairness that may widen the gap between high-performing and struggling students. Indeed, some degree of unfairness may be inherent in almost every form of testing. This problem extends well beyond K–20 education. It applies to driver's examinations, medical board examinations, and competitive examinations for government positions, including G-12 positions. The fundamental question is whether tests measure what they are intended to measure, or whether they also measure other abilities that give some examinees an unintended advantage. Another key point may be that testing can magnify differences in ability rather than merely measure them. 1. The Strategic Advantage of Good Students Good students are often better at distinguishing difficult questions from easy ones. This ability allows them to allocate their time more effectively...

  Jurassic Park and the Folly of Artificial Intelligence Don Allen and Jessica Allen Jurassic Park is ostensibly a story about resurrecting dinosaurs, but beneath the adventure lies a more profound warning about technological progress. Its central problem is not that the scientists fail to accomplish what they intended. They succeed spectacularly. They bring dinosaurs back to life. They create an extraordinary park. They demonstrate scientific capabilities that once seemed impossible. The trouble begins because the future consequences of that success are substantially unknown. In this respect, Jurassic Park provides a compelling metaphor for the advent of artificial intelligence. John Hammond asks, in effect, whether humanity can create something extraordinary. The more important question, however, is what happens after it has been created. Artificial intelligence presents a similar dilemma. We can build increasingly capable systems that write, reason, program, analyze, disco...

 When deciding whether to deploy troops into combat, the last person a leader should consult is the "armchair warrior"—someone who sees only the glory of victory and the thrill of defeating an opponent. Instead, leaders should turn to battle-tested commanders who have faced the weight of sending soldiers to their potential deaths. These veterans see little glory in conflict, making them precisely the leaders needed to prosecute a war wisely, make sound tactical decisions, and minimize casualties.

 Developing strong observation skills in college pays off both in the classroom and in your future career. In the Classroom and on Exams   An observant student attends every class and takes thorough notes, paying close attention to the specific points a professor emphasizes. Because exams are almost always drawn directly from lecture content, these notes become an indispensable study tool. I'm constantly surprised how many students overlook this simple, high-yield strategy. In the Workplace Observational skills allow you to assess your surroundings, understand the current operational context, and identify pressing problems. Rather than relying solely on theoretical models, which can sometimes misguide your efforts, an observant employee uses real-time context to ask the right questions, form solid hypotheses, and make practical decisions. Theory provides a foundation, but direct personal observation is what drives success.

Introduction. Wisdom often carries over through maxims, aphorisms, proverbs, and truisms. They are often stated vaguely, in ways that resonate differently with different readers but carry a similar message. Most are a single sentence, sometimes two. They tell us, guide us, and sometimes suggest wise but honest responses to happenstances, prospects, and events. Of course, the major tomes of Aristotle, Plato, Aquinas, Kant, and others can require years of study to profit from. Many well-known maxims come from their writings. You want to be wise, the pride of your family, or the pride of the workplace. How to do this is a good question, but one that has a ready answer. You simply invent it.  Here we give methods with examples, some cooked up at home and many from the literature. We call it do-it-yourself DIY) wisdom. One convention: If I’ve found the maxim, say in books of quotes, it is displayed in quotes; if it is my construction, no quotes are used. Do It Yourself Wisdo...

1.      Introduction Understanding is not a binary condition but a continuum of cognitive states that determines how effectively a problem solver can engage with a challenge. While dictionaries define understanding as knowing meaning, recognizing mechanisms, or apprehending behavior, problem-solving reveals a far more nuanced hierarchy. This essay presents understanding as a developmental sequence ranging from complete misconception to innovative mastery, examining how each level corresponds to distinct cognitive capacities and pedagogical needs. We also mention how AI may fit within our hierarchy. Why connect with problem-solving? The answer is simple: everything you propose to do can be cast as a problem. For example, to even discuss what is “happiness,” you first cast it as a problem, and then focus your available problem-solving tools upon it. Every question is, in short, a problem.   2.   Hierarchy of Understanding The following levels...