Skip to main content

Advice, Bad Advice, and Damned Advice

 

Advice, Bad Advice, and Damned Advice

Don Allen

 

Everyone gives advice, and almost everyone takes it now and then. Advice, though, is inherently incoherent, inconsistent, and inaccurate.  Now and then, it can be critical. But even the stingiest, coldest, or most loving of us give it freely. A glossary follows but first consider a few examples.

 

·        When you take advice, are you substituting another’s thinking for your own?

·        Sometimes I wish I followed my own advice. But nooooo! I took someone else’s advice. Wrong.

·        When you give advice and someone takes it, then are you not somewhat responsible for outcomes?

·        There have been times I rejected good advice because I didn’t like who was giving it.

·        Companies call in consultants to give advice, but the consultants seldom know the fine points of the business they are advising. People call in psychologists for the same reasons.

·        Ministers and priests are always giving advice, but usually only once a week. Moms and dads give advice, every day if you allow.

·        Schools have many professional advisors on life, but only a few have truly lived.

Glossary

Advice is a suggestion or recommendation offered by someone who should have more experience or knowledge than the person being advised. It can be given on any topic, from personal relationships to career decisions to financial matters.

 

Bad advice is any advice that is not based on sound reasoning or evidence. It can be advice that is harmful, misleading, or simply ineffective. Bad advice can come from anyone, including friends, family, celebrities, and even experts.

 

Damned advice is advice that is unhelpful, harmful, or even dangerous. It can be advice that is based on false information, outdated beliefs, or personal opinions. Damned advice can come from anyone, including friends, family, experts, and even strangers.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please Comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I.                                       I.                 Introduction.                Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II.     ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where is AI (Artificial Intelligence) Going?

  How to view Artificial Intelligence (AI).  Imagine you go to the store to buy a TV, but all they have are 1950s models, black and white, circular screens, picture rolls, and picture imperfect, no remote. You’d say no thanks. Back in the day, they sold wildly. The TV was a must-have for everyone with $250 to spend* (about $3000 today). Compared to where AI is today, this is more or less where TVs were 70 years ago. In only a few decades AI will be advanced beyond comprehension, just like TVs today are from the 50s viewpoint. Just like we could not imagine where the video concept was going back then, we cannot really imagine where AI is going. Buckle up. But it will be spectacular.    *Back then minimum wage was $0.75/hr. Thus, a TV cost more than eight weeks' wages. ------------------------- 
Post a Comment
Read more

Fake News

If you've been following the news the last couple of days, you will note the flurry of copy devoted to fake news.  Both sides are blaming whatever has befallen them the consequence of fake news.  Let's look at this phenomenon a bit.    When I was a student years ago, a friend climbed some mountain in Peru.   A article was written in the local newspaper about the event.   In only three column inches, the newspaper made about six errors.   An easy article to write you say?   Just interview and reproduce.   Yet so many errors?   The question is this: was this fake news or bad reporting?   The idea here is that fake news comes in various flavors. Bad reporting – errors made by the author or editor Opinion presented as news     Deliberate creation of falsehoods to favor a point of view       The reporting of selected truths to favor a particular point of view Now we have the big social media ...
Post a Comment
Read more