Here are ten ideas, models, or quotes to make you think this week.
Quotes
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” - Heraclitus
“A man’s worth is determined by how much truth he can tolerate.” - Friedrich Nietzche
“There are two cardinal sins from which all others spring: Impatience and Laziness” - Franz Kafka
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
“The test of a first-rate intellect is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in your head at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mental Models
Akrasia: A concept from Ancient Greek philosophy meaning lack of self-control. In The Personal MBA, Josh Kaufman describes it as when we know that we should do something that’s in our best interest and then decide not to do it. This is a worse version of procrastination because akrasia avoids the task altogether rather than delaying it.
Toxic Compassion: Telling someone what they want to hear to keep them emotionally comfortable at the expense of their long-term needs and growth. Think Niceness vs. Kindness.
Iatrogenics: When a treatment causes more harm than benefit. This is often caused when an expert feels the need to intervene to prove their worth, even if staying put is the best course of action.
The Shirky Principle: Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution. Big Pharma is an industry that this is often accused of but there are various other areas this can be applied to.
The Pyrrhic Victory: When the cost of victory is not worth the reward. If you are not able to enjoy the spoils of success, victory does not look much different from defeat.
Thanks as always for reading! Like, share, and subscribe for more!
Thomas