New Ideas
The great thing about books is that sometimes they present new ideas or new arguments for old ideas. Those in the latter category are sometimes a guilty pleasure because you know you're succumbing to confirmation bias, so I try not to be too enthusiastic about them. This is in line with the conviction that wisdom comes from holding "strong opinions, which are weakly held" (via MarginalRevolution). Those in the former category (new ideas) can be a much more emotional experience ... hence the temptation to read a broad variety.
My wife used to keep a sign next to her desk that attributed to Howard Aiken the statement, "Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats". This seems true of my personal experience in acquiring new ideas, even when I go looking for them. I have tentatively broken the process down into 6 steps [Update: I originally said 5 but listed 6, because I was still developing the idea while writing, testament to the sketchiness of this whole "theory"], which seem to me analogous to the Kübler-Ross model of dying. They are skepticism, outright resistance, reconsideration, acceptance, enlightened skepticism, and integration. I'm no psychologist and this is not based on any formal analysis, so it would not surprise me to find out that someone has already written extensively about this. And that they had done a much better job.
Skepticism - At this stage, the idea seems far-fetched. You are open to it, but all of the arguments and sources are new to you. There is no resonance because you don't have the author's background and influences.
Outright resistance - At this stage, you are actively resisting the ideas. You note that the arguments gloss over or ignore counterarguments, that the sources are obscure and suspect.
Reconsideration - I think this is the result of introducing these ideas into your subconscious memory, and why a long, involved book is better for introducing radical arguments than a short one. If it takes several days to read the book, you find that you are thinking about it even when you are away from the book. The longer it takes, the more likely you are to encounter news stories, examples in daily life, and other things that create resonance.
Acceptance - You have learned to accept some of the major premises of the argument. In fact, you may even be enthusiastic about the ideas, seeing how they apply regularly rather than rarely. This is the enthusiasm of the recent convert.
Enlightened skepticism - At this point, you have come to understand some of the ideas, but upon further inspection have recognized both the faults and the strengths. Depending on the size of the book and nature of your reading schedule, you may actually enter into this stage while still reading or some time after completing the book.
Integration - This rarely occurs while I am still reading a book; typically, this happens long after completing it. I find, however, that I don't fully integrate something until I've had a chance to argue in favor of it. At that time, someone may point out shortcomings in your own critical analysis, forcing you to go back and reconsider it, or learn it better. As with everything, learning something well enough to teach it is far more valuable than learning just enough to claim to know it. You may still integrate something even when you largely disagree with the author's main theme. For example, very few people who cite Schumpeter's "creative destruction" from Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy actually accept the major argument in that book, that capitalism would soon collapse from lack of investment opportunities (it was written in 1942).
Howard Gardner's Changing Minds; The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's Minds is about the levers needed to change people's minds in different settings. Those settings range from the national/political, to the scientific, and to the self. He identifies 7 such levers (quoted from the book's press release)
1. Reason (making logical arguments)
2. Research (presenting factual data)
3. Resonance (connecting with an individual’s or group’s emotional or spiritual core)
4. Representational redescriptions (presenting the same idea in multiple formats, reflecting our various intelligences)
5. Resources and rewards (offering positive or negative reinforcement)
6. Real world events (leveraging happenings that are out of your control)
7. Resistances (identifying and countering longstanding, contrary beliefs)
Obviously, when reading books for myself, the context is changing my own mind. The levers that are most effective are reason and research, which must counter the resistances, my previously held beliefs. In stage 3 (Reconsideration), real world events and resonance are in play, also working on my resistances. The wisdom of "strong opinions, which are weakly held" is to know the reason and research behind your previously held beliefs, but to be ready to drop that resistance when new reason and new research is made available.
technorati tags: book review psychology bias learning
My wife used to keep a sign next to her desk that attributed to Howard Aiken the statement, "Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats". This seems true of my personal experience in acquiring new ideas, even when I go looking for them. I have tentatively broken the process down into 6 steps [Update: I originally said 5 but listed 6, because I was still developing the idea while writing, testament to the sketchiness of this whole "theory"], which seem to me analogous to the Kübler-Ross model of dying. They are skepticism, outright resistance, reconsideration, acceptance, enlightened skepticism, and integration. I'm no psychologist and this is not based on any formal analysis, so it would not surprise me to find out that someone has already written extensively about this. And that they had done a much better job.
Skepticism - At this stage, the idea seems far-fetched. You are open to it, but all of the arguments and sources are new to you. There is no resonance because you don't have the author's background and influences.
Outright resistance - At this stage, you are actively resisting the ideas. You note that the arguments gloss over or ignore counterarguments, that the sources are obscure and suspect.
Reconsideration - I think this is the result of introducing these ideas into your subconscious memory, and why a long, involved book is better for introducing radical arguments than a short one. If it takes several days to read the book, you find that you are thinking about it even when you are away from the book. The longer it takes, the more likely you are to encounter news stories, examples in daily life, and other things that create resonance.
Acceptance - You have learned to accept some of the major premises of the argument. In fact, you may even be enthusiastic about the ideas, seeing how they apply regularly rather than rarely. This is the enthusiasm of the recent convert.
Enlightened skepticism - At this point, you have come to understand some of the ideas, but upon further inspection have recognized both the faults and the strengths. Depending on the size of the book and nature of your reading schedule, you may actually enter into this stage while still reading or some time after completing the book.
Integration - This rarely occurs while I am still reading a book; typically, this happens long after completing it. I find, however, that I don't fully integrate something until I've had a chance to argue in favor of it. At that time, someone may point out shortcomings in your own critical analysis, forcing you to go back and reconsider it, or learn it better. As with everything, learning something well enough to teach it is far more valuable than learning just enough to claim to know it. You may still integrate something even when you largely disagree with the author's main theme. For example, very few people who cite Schumpeter's "creative destruction" from Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy actually accept the major argument in that book, that capitalism would soon collapse from lack of investment opportunities (it was written in 1942).
Howard Gardner's Changing Minds; The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's Minds is about the levers needed to change people's minds in different settings. Those settings range from the national/political, to the scientific, and to the self. He identifies 7 such levers (quoted from the book's press release)
1. Reason (making logical arguments)
2. Research (presenting factual data)
3. Resonance (connecting with an individual’s or group’s emotional or spiritual core)
4. Representational redescriptions (presenting the same idea in multiple formats, reflecting our various intelligences)
5. Resources and rewards (offering positive or negative reinforcement)
6. Real world events (leveraging happenings that are out of your control)
7. Resistances (identifying and countering longstanding, contrary beliefs)
Obviously, when reading books for myself, the context is changing my own mind. The levers that are most effective are reason and research, which must counter the resistances, my previously held beliefs. In stage 3 (Reconsideration), real world events and resonance are in play, also working on my resistances. The wisdom of "strong opinions, which are weakly held" is to know the reason and research behind your previously held beliefs, but to be ready to drop that resistance when new reason and new research is made available.
technorati tags: book review psychology bias learning
Labels: philosophy
<< Home