Unlearning 101

Don't Assume You More Than You Do

"... he has persuaded me that we can solve many of our problems as long as we don't assume that we know more than we do."

So concludes John Horgan in his insightful review of David Deutsch's new book, The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Will Transform the World.

I not only agree with the thinking behind quote, more importantly, I like that Mr. Horgan is willing to admit the author's book (and ideas) had changed his mind. (Apparently, Deutsch even criticized some of Horgan's own ideas in the book.)

As I've said before, I wish more people would expose themselves to unlearning and admit when they have been persuaded to see the world differently. Ironically, it would make the world a better place. 

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The Harder Part

One of my favorite authors, Seth Godin, recently had an insightful post entitled "The Hard Part (One of Them)." I'll repeat it below for your reading enjoyment:

A guy asked his friend, the writer David Foster Wallace, "Say, Dave, how'd y'get t'be so dang smart?"

His answer:

"I did the reading."

No one said the preparation part was fun, but yes, it's important. I wonder why we believe we can skip it and still be so dang smart.

I agree that reading can -- and will -- make you smarter. I would submit, however, that regardless of the voracity of your reading diet, it is vital for all of us -- but most especially "smart" people -- to regularly remind ourselves of how little of the sum total of human knowledge any of us has actually acquired (or, for that matter, can acquire).

One effective strategy for doing this is to create an "anti-library." It's purpose is to serve as a tangible reminder of how little we actually know.

If this fails, you can always just remind yourself of what Socrates once said, "I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."

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Unlearning Requires an Anti-Library

Unlearning Requires An Anti-Library

"There is a huge difference between what people actually know and how much they think they know." – Nassim Taleb

 Question: Which of these animals is more likely to kill you: A shark or a deer?

The right answer is the deer. In fact, the contest isn’t even close. You are 300-times more likely to be killed at the hands—or the “hoof” if you will—of a deer than a shark. The reason a vast majority of people incorrectly answer this question is because shark attacks, although quite rare, are easy to imagine and vividly recalled. For example, it is not uncommon for television news stories to report shark attacks even when those attacks occur thousands of miles away; and, if you are over the age of 40, you may viscerally recall the movie “Jaws.”  On the other hand, instances of drivers striking deer on remote country roads and dying in the resulting collision, are much more common. They occur with such startling regularity that they rarely warrant more than a passing mention on the local news.

The discrepancy between the relative danger of sharks and deer is a poignant reminder of that old adage: What we don’t know is more important than what we do know. One of the better ways to remind of ourselves of our ignorance—and to remain open to the concept of unlearning—is to keep our ignorance top-of-mind. One of the more effective strategies for doing this is to create an anti-library. As Nassim Taleb recounts in his provocative and insightful book, The Black Swan, an anti-library is a collection of books that one hasn’t read.

Unlike a shelf or bookcase filled with previously read books, an anti-library serves as a tangible reminder of all unread books—books that may contain valuable information or insights—but which a person hasn’t yet had the opportunity to access. With an estimated 3,000 new books being published daily and the rate of scientific knowledge purported to be doubling every seven years, it is safe to assume that there is a growing body of knowledge which is relevant to you and your business but which you remain blissfully unaware.

Unfortunately, ignorance isn’t bliss.

It is also impossible to know everything. Therefore, the best one can do in such a deplorable situation is to use the awareness of this ignorance as a method for staying intellectually humble. By extension, a person more likely to remain open to the necessity of unlearning if they occasionally remind themselves of what they don’t know.

You are, of course, free to ignore this advice but remember this: What you don’t know can kill you—almost as easily as a deer.

 

How Do You Know What You Don't Know?

How do you know what you don't know? It sounds like an inane question. After all, how can you possibly know what you don't know? 

The answer is that you can't. This doesn't imply, however, that the question isn't important. In fact, it is vital to your future success because it will keep you learning and unlearning.  

One way to remind you of "what you don't know" is to create an anti-library -- a list of books you haven't read but which likely contain some information, knowledge or wisdom that would be helpful to you.

I really like the idea of anti-library because it can serve as a tangible reminder of "what we don't know." To this end, enjoy this picture to the right and let it serve as a visual reminder of all that you -- and I -- don't know.

Public Libraries: Centers for Unlearning?

Seth Godin has an interesting post on the future of libraries in which he suggests that libraries' survival depends on training people to take intellectual initiative.  

It's an interesting idea and I encourage librarians to consider instructing people in the art of unlearning as one way to do this.

For example, librarians could introduce patrons to the idea of studying at an anti-library. They could also help train people to see things from a different perspective. Other ideas including teaching people how to ask a new question or even argue with themselves.

We all need to unlearn and libraries can play an important role in cultivating this critical skill.

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Argue with Yourself (It's Not Debatable)

“I have what I call an iron prescription that helps me keep sane when I naturally drift toward preferring one ideology over another and that is: I say that I’m not entitled to have an opinion on this subject unless I can state the argument against my position better than the people who support it. I think only when I’ve reached that state am I qualified to speak.”

Question #31: If you had to fit one of these two tables into a long narrow space which would you choose?

 

Did you say the table on the left? If so, you are correct. If, however, you opted for the other table you are also correct. Why? Because both tables have the same dimensions. Don’t believe me? Measure the width and the length of the sides of each table.

The optical illusion and the above quote from Charlie Munger -- Warren Buffett’s right-hand man for more than 40 years -- offer visual evidence and worldly advice for anyone wishing to stay open to the importance of unlearning because they both serve as useful reminders that it is important to consider all sides of something – be it a table or an issue.

Munger’s practice of arguing opposite sides of a question is a practice that dates back thousands of years. As Nassim Taleb recounts in his book, Fooled by Randomness, in 155 B.C. the Greek philosopher, Carnaedes, traveled to Rome to argue against a penalty which had been levied upon the Athenians. With unmatched eloquence, Carnaedes sang the praises of Roman justice and convinced his audience of the merits of his position. But that wasn’t the point he was trying to make. The very next day Carnaedes dissected his previous arguments and proceeded to convince the same audience that the opposite was true.

So where did Carnaedes really stand on the issue? We don’t know. But that doesn’t matter because what he wanted to advocate was a doctrine of ‘uncertainty of knowledge.” Carnaedes was a “radical skeptic” and believed that all knowledge is impossible to know, except for the knowledge that all knowledge is impossible to know. Or, as Taleb writes, “[h]e stood all his life against arrogant dogma and belief in one sole truth.”

The philosophy calls to mind a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald who once said: “The test of a first rate mind is the ability to hold two diametrically opposed ideas at the same time and still function.”

This ability to deal with ambiguity is not a luxury reserved only for ancient philosophers and poets. In 1988, a study by the American Management Association found that the leadership characteristic most essential for steering organizations through troubled and complex times was “the ability to deal with ambiguity.”

One strategy for preparing for such ambiguity is, like Munger and Carnaedes, to know the opposing side of an argument was well as the supporting arguments. In this way, whenever new—and perhaps contradictory information—becomes available, the holder of the opinion can assimilate that information into their decision-making process. This, in turn, might make it easier to unlearn a position in spite of having voiced support for it in the past.

Why might this be so? Because the previous work in understanding the opposite view will have created the space for a different but equally plausible idea – or even a table – to fit.

Homework Assignment #31: List all of the reasons why your top competitors products or service are superior to your own, and why their revenue growth, profits and stock performance may outperform yours over the next three years. For individuals, identify your favorite stock and list all the reasons it may underperform the broader S&P index.

 

Unlearning Intelligence or Why You Shouldn't Tell Your Kid He's Smart

Like many of you, the bookshelf by my bed is stacked with more books than I can possibly read. As a result, I often find myself reading two or three books concurrently. One of the beauties of this approach is that you can stumble upon serendipitous insights.

One such insight just occurred last night. I first read some of the "Thinking Course" by Edward de Bono. In the book he argues that intelligence is different from thinking. In fact, de Bono even argues that "intelligence" can be detrimental to thinking when intelligence is used to defend an erroneous point of view. He calls this the "intelligence trap" and writes "[Intelligent people can so ably defend their point of view that actual exploration of the matter seems a waste of time." (See "Unlearning Land Bridges: A Lesson for Scientists" for a concrete example of this idea.)

Next, I began reading Jonah Lehrer's new book, "How We Decide." In an early chapter he highlights the extraordinary work of Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford who has spent her career demonstrating that one of the crucial ingredients of a successful education is the ability to learn from mistakes. (It is also an invaluable life lesson as I explained last week in this piece, "Unlearning Danger for the Sake of Your Child.")

Alas, most teachers -- and many parents -- teach the exact opposite of this very important lesson. These well-intentioned individuals instead praise kids for "being smart" when what they should be doing instead is praising kids for their effort.

In one experiment, Dweck gave 400 kids a test. Afterward, she praised half for being intelligent. ("You must be really smart.") The second half were praised for their effort. Next, she offered both groups a choice between two follow-up tests. One test was easy and the second was more difficult. Surprisingly, 90% who were praised for their effort went for the more difficult test while a majority of the "smart" kids went for the easy test because they feared failure.

The results don't end there, however. Many of the kids who were praised for effort actually enjoyed the more difficult test and were more interested in learning from their mistakes. While those who were at first praised for their intelligence were more easily discouraged when they didn't do as well and were confronted with the reality that they were no longer as "smart" or intelligent.

Both lessons highlight the fact that we may want to unlearn how we view intelligence. Intelligence used in defense of a bad idea is not intelligent. Nor is it wise to praise people for their "intelligence" if that praise has the counter-intuitive affect of encouraging them to become less intelligent.

Unlearning the Need for Answers

Gregory Rodriguez recently had an excellent article in the Los Angeles Times entitled "The danger of not knowing how to inquire." In many ways, it is a positive review Andrea Batista Schlesinger's new book, "The Death of Why?" but, more broadly, the article questions American's penchant for action.

In part, this penchant for action is a product of our "desire for certainty [for] hard facts, quick answers." 

But what if there are no "hard answers"?

Batista- Schlesinger writes, "What we need to acknowledge, now more than ever, is that we do not know everything. We cannot know everything. Knowledge changes ... the future is a moving target, and the ground beneath us will never be still. The only thing we can count on to see us through an uncertain future is our ability to ask questions."

Batista Schlesinger is right. The world is moving beneath our feet; we do need to ask new questions; and we must all have a little more intellectual humility.

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How to Conduct an "Unterview"

Face-to-face interviews are not nearly as effective as most people like to believe -- as I explained in this recent post on "unlearning the interview." Nevertheless, if you are bound and determined to conduct one, I recommend turning the interview process on its head and conducting what I call an "unterview." Below are a few starter questions to get you on your way:

1. What isn't on your resume? The purpose of this question is find out whether the person "knows what he or she doesn't know."

2. Name one thing you have unlearned in the past year? An alternative question would be: "What is the most important thing you have unlearned in your life?" The response (or lack thereof) may provide a hint to how open-minded and flexible the person is and whether they are capable of change.

3. What do you find un-interesting? This question is really just the opposite of the old "what are your interests/hobbies" question, but I believe that you can find out just as much about a person from what they don't like -- or find interesting -- as from what they do.

4. What book have you wanted to read in the past year but haven't? As regular readers know, I'm a huge fan of starting an "anti-library" but this question may offer some insight into the depth of a person's intellectual curiosity.

This, of course, is just a beginning list. If you have other questions that would make for a good "unterview," I would love to hear your suggestions.

Unlearning 101: Lesson #23 -- Unlearning Labels

Today's addition to my anti-library is "Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention from Fire to Freud" by Peter Watson.

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