I could blame my coffee machine that broke down after some 10+ years of service. I could blame our rainy summer weather. I doubt it's about coffee or sunshine. I suppose it's far deeper. A recent road trip to Germany lifted my spirits. A lack of hotel sleep made matters worse, however. Actually, I do not (yet) know my reason(s) for feeling listless and bored. As a...
Occam’s razor
Obstacles inspire to bigger thinking
8 Dec, 2021
Our brains are wired for efficiency (eg, Nautilus, Quanta). They excel in quick & dirty solutions to the very many decisions that have to be taken. Given a choice between complexity versus simplicity, the brain will opt for simple solutions. This choice is in accordance with Occam's razor, a "problem-solving principle" (Wiki). Sometimes, a problem is too...
Why our egocentrism is the source of our stupidity
17 Nov, 2021
In 2021, I've written a lot about human stupidity (my blogs). I've been hesitant to address the How-What-When-Where-Who-Why questions. A 2021 Psyche article was very helpful: Why some of the smartest people can be so very stupid (eg, my blog). Apparently, stupidity is a blind spot in our thinking. Recently, I noticed two more related articles that have been causing...
How can something be so right AND so wrong?
10 Nov, 2021
We typically believe in simple perspectives: it's either day or night rather than acknowledging dawn or twilight. Things are either black or white rather than the many shades of grey in between. People are either right or wrong rather than considering subjective truths. Many - if not most - things are dualistic in our lives (eg, us/them, yes/no). If so, how can...
Is Europe Wrong? Or Are We? (National Review)
30 Oct, 2021
National Review title: Is Europe Wrong? Or Are We?NR subtitle: European countries aren’t vaccinating their five-year-olds, and they’re taking off the masks.By: Michael Brendan DoughertyDate: 22 October 2021 "The United States is weeks away from rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as five. And yet, even after it is rolled...
Subtractive solutions
31 May, 2021
Several years ago, I wrote my blogs Less is More (2014) and More is Better (2016). Latter was about consumerism. The former has a broader context in our vocabulary. For some time, I've saved a 2021 Scientific American article for future blog use: Our brain typically overlooks this brilliant problem-solving strategy. Many problem-solving solutions have two basic...
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