Bilingual

Persuade xor Discover
21 hours ago
- Social conventions of being ingratiating in print are more dangerous than in person because they mix with ideas, leading to real lies.
- Politicians use spin to soften the impact of truths, but this padding can distort the core message.
- An example compares a blunt paragraph about labor unions with a rewritten version that pleases union supporters while making the same point.
- Writing to persuade often requires pandering to readers' misconceptions, whereas writing to discover aims for truth and conciseness.
- Essay writers face a trade-off: pleasing readers vs. exploring surprising ideas without distortion.
- Conciseness helps clarify ideas, while excessive spin can lead to self-deception and hinder discovery.
Writing and Speaking
21 hours ago
- The author values having good ideas over being a good speaker, as ideas are central to writing but less important in speaking.
- A good speaker can engage an audience with delivery and humor, even if the content is shallow, unlike writing where substance matters more.
- Writing allows more time to refine sentences and generate ideas, while speaking requires ad-libbing or rehearsing, which can limit idea depth.
- Audience dynamics in talks can amplify less intelligent reactions, making speaking more about bullshitting, especially with less intelligent audiences.
- Talks are not useless; they motivate action and allow personal connection with speakers, though emotional force can be used for good or ill.
How to Get New Ideas
21 hours ago
- The way to get new ideas is to notice anomalies: what seems strange, missing, or broken.
- The best place to look for anomalies is at the frontiers of knowledge.
- Knowledge grows fractally; its edges appear smooth from a distance but are full of gaps up close.

ideas

Persuade xor Discover

Writing and Speaking

How to Get New Ideas