Author
Topic: How do you know what you think you know?
(Read 6610 times)

betarhoalphadelta · « **Reply #15 on:** March 03, 2025, 05:39:50 PM »

As far as trying to figure out how to know what you know is actually so...

You don't learn anything from headlines, or articles on Facebook, if you never even click through and read the article. I feel stupid having to say this... But I see it constantly. "Did you hear about X?" "No, what happened." "Well, X did Y!" "Really? What are the details?" "Oh, I don't know, I just saw it on Facebook." (Which means that you saw someone share a story on Facebook, didn't read it or do any due diligence, but now think you're informed.)
tl;dr are the worst 5 characters on the internet. If you can't be bothered to read something beyond 300 words, you can't claim that you're informed on anything. The world is extraordinarily complex and nuanced. Trying to understand complex issues at superficial levels is not only useless, but it makes you falsely confident in your opinion of something you don't know $#!+ about.
So... Let's say you actually read the article, and you read a WHOLE article of >300 words. Ok... You're already ahead of most of the American population. Now... Should you believe it? NO! You should take it as ONE piece of evidence/opinion about a subject. You haven't learned the issue. You've learned what one writer thinks about the issue, what one writer wants you to know about the issue, and what you don't know is what the writer does NOT want you to know about the issue. So even if you're already ahead of most Americans... You're still at only step 1.
Ok. So now you know a minimum. Did you agree with it? No? Good! Go find other sources that also disagree with it so you can evaluate both sides. Did you agree with it? Yes? Good! NOW GO FIND OTHER SOURCES THAT DISAGREE WITH IT SO YOU CAN EVALUATE BOTH SIDES. Don't just read sources/opinions you agree with. Don't let the sources you agree with tell you what the "other side" believes. You'll never get honesty. You have to seek out the other side yourself, so you can see if anyone is picking at the giant holes in your side's argument that confirmation bias blinded you from.
Okay, now you've heard from both sides. Both sides have described the evidence to you. You have to ask yourself, is the evidence available for you to evaluate yourself? I.e. let's say it's descriptions of a SCOTUS decision. Or perhaps it's a discussion of a scientific study. Well, in many cases, you actually have the ability to look at the source material yourself. Some of it is long. Most of it is boring. Generally all of it is technical and full of jargon that you may need to learn just to understand what the HELL they're even talking about.

Now, does all this sound like a lot of work?

Yes.

But the question was "how do you know what you think you know?" Well, if you're not doing literally any of this???

...you don't know $#!+.

utee94 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 03, 2025, 05:43:08 PM »

Even if you're doing all of that, you probably still don't know jack.

betarhoalphadelta · « **Reply #17 on:** March 03, 2025, 05:59:32 PM »

Quote from: utee94 on March 03, 2025, 05:43:08 PM

Even if you're doing all of that, you probably still don't know jack.

True. At best you'll get a layman's understanding, which is a far cry from expertise.

The goal is perhaps to get to a point where you can tell the difference between people who have some semblance of knowing what they're talking about, and those who are charlatans and/or actively deceptive.

And as I said above, the default position of "I don't know" always exists.

Honestbuckeye · « **Reply #18 on:** March 03, 2025, 06:11:59 PM »

When I was 26 years old and just got into banking, I had an epiphany.

I realized how much I don’t know, and how much I could learn from every customer, every associate- really everyone. My career took off like lightning from that day.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #19 on:** March 03, 2025, 08:34:42 PM »

Quote from: utee94 on March 03, 2025, 05:43:08 PM

Even if you're doing all of that, you probably still don't know jack.

It's a matter of getting some idea of "world conditions" you find important as best you can. Is everything a lie? I don't think so.

MarqHusker · « **Reply #20 on:** March 03, 2025, 08:59:59 PM »

Humility is a fantastic trait for your own development.

utee94 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 03, 2025, 09:03:26 PM »

Quote from: MarqHusker on March 03, 2025, 08:59:59 PM

Humility is a fantastic trait for your own development.

Yeah but it's really hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way.

Brutus Buckeye · « **Reply #22 on:** March 03, 2025, 09:43:03 PM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKRomaXhLAo

Cincydawg · « **Reply #23 on:** March 04, 2025, 08:06:58 AM »

I've tried to read some French publications like Le Monde (with some help). Suffice it to say the media in France has a very very different world view, especially of the US.

If all we read was French media, I think most of us would have rather different opinions about "things".

MikeDeTiger · « **Reply #24 on:** March 04, 2025, 10:50:52 AM »

Quote from: betarhoalphadelta on March 03, 2025, 05:59:32 PM

The goal is perhaps to get to a point where you can tell the difference between people who have some semblance of knowing what they're talking about, and those who are charlatans and/or actively deceptive.

My point was not to interject my own thoughts, but this is a broader, key point I've come to in this process. IMO, there comes a point when applying enough other, smaller principles to a particular person or news source gets you to a point where you can justifiably feel like most of the time, they're doing the best they can, and have honest efforts at research behind the scenes. It doesn't mean I trust everything they say or am obliged to agree with their opinions. But I do think it means there is a reasonable point to reach where I'm justified in "doing less work" when it comes to something I picked up from somewhere that has repeatedly shown to be a good actor and reliable as far as facts go. By the same token, I don't 100% dismiss things that comes from places I've judged to be disreputable, but it does mean I'm justified in having a default position of heavier skepticism with it than sources that have proven more trustworthy.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #25 on:** March 04, 2025, 10:58:14 AM »

Folks here cast a pretty wide net, I find. I've at times thought a thing and brought it up here, and folks have posed at least counter theories and sources, and at times completely shot me down.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #26 on:** March 04, 2025, 02:34:11 PM »

This is, to me, a very interesting question. For example, on "FACEBOOK" (I know) I have been assaulted (Do you know what I mean by assaulted?) by adds demeaning "seed oils". (The sites are of course selling other kinds of oils.) OK, so I wonder, what's amiss with Canola oil etc.? I resort to ... google and the internet. I read some "experts" on authoritative sites, and conclude seed oils pretty much are OK, probably better than other kinds, but not good to ingest in excess.

Are those experts right? How can I know? I assess their arguments with what little else I think I know (which also is mostly from experts). Is HFC pure poison "one molecule away from plastic"? Well, the latter claim is bizarre and false, but then, I learned all that stuff back when "from experts".

FearlessF · « **Reply #27 on:** March 04, 2025, 02:45:09 PM »

I talked to a guy during happy hour yesterday that said this type of thing works for him

I wouldn't cornsider him an expert but, he has experience

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Topic: How do you know what you think you know?

Gigem

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

betarhoalphadelta

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

utee94

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

betarhoalphadelta

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

Honestbuckeye

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

Cincydawg

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

MarqHusker

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

utee94

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

Brutus Buckeye

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

Cincydawg

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

MikeDeTiger

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

Cincydawg

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

Cincydawg

Re: How do you know what you think you know?

FearlessF

Re: How do you know what you think you know?