#Note/Hub #Podcast #Biases/ConfirmationBias #PersonalGrowth \[language: *[[尤瓦尔·赫拉利 - 正念，思维和学习|zh]]|[[Yuval Noah Harari - Mindfulness, Thinking, and Learning|en]]*\] [Yuval Noah Harari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuval_Noah_Harari) is an Israeli author renowned for his best-selling science book, "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014)." He is also a historian and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In an [interview](https://youtu.be/Mde2q7GFCrw) with [Lex Fridman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lex_Fridman), he discussed various topics including human consciousness, intelligence, social phenomena, the meaning of life, love, war, and AI (which reminded me of the Netflix show _Love, Death & Robots_). What resonated with me most in this episode was Yuval's discussion on how to think, providing many insights into his thought process. ![[love death and robots.png]] *Poster of Love, Death & Robots, Credit: Netflix* ## Meditation Meditation is a topic I'm not familiar with, but I've heard many high-performing people, like Yuval in this podcast, and [Wendy Suzuki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Suzuki) in another episode with Andrew Huberman, mention it. In the interview, Yuval [stated](https://youtu.be/Mde2q7GFCrw?t=8153): > If I can't observe my own breath, because of these stories created by the mind, how can I hope to understand much more complex things, like the political situation in Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. If all these stories keep coming, I mean, it's not the truth, it's just the story your own mind created. So first thing, train the mind to be silent and just observe. These words are very powerful to me as I often lose track of my attention, allowing interruptions to take over, whether out of good intention, boredom, or forgetfulness. Emotions, such as remorse or anger, frequently arise during moments of idleness, as my mind rehearses responses to daily encounters, like someone honking at me on my way home from work how should I have responded back better. I feel mentally fatigued when my mind is occupied by these distractions; it feels like I'm not truly present. These meditation anecdotes seem like a promising solution to these challenges, and I plan to research and learn meditation properly, hoping to share beneficial insights later. ## Information Diet You are what your brain consumes. > Today, many people are very aware of what they feed their body, what enters their mouth. Be very aware of what you feed your mind, what enters your mind. Have an information diet. Yuval is selective about the information he allows into his mind. I strongly agree with this approach, especially since building this digital garden and sharing my learning. The internet was already full of anecdotes before the GPT era, with content created to manipulate search engine results and social media. I've heard, ironically this statement is also anecdotal, that people can pay for social media followers to increase public influence, which in turn generates profit. Now, in the post-GPT era, generating anecdotes has become even cheaper. Gita Jackson at Aftermath shared a [post](https://aftermath.site/the-internet-is-full-of-ai-dogshit) highlighting the rise of inaccurate AI-generated content online and how it hijacks people's attention. Therefore, when researching notes for publication, I strive to find the "ground truth," either through authentic human sources or research papers. Yuval recommends prioritizing longer forms of information, such as books, over shorter content like tweets. My interpretation is that longer, quality content tends to be more comprehensive, encouraging deeper engagement and facilitating better knowledge retention. ## Problem Leads Solution Not the other way around. > I let the problem lead me where it goes and not where I want it to go. If I approach a problem with some preconceived idea, solution, and then try to impose it on the problem, and you know, just find confirmation bias. Just find the evidence that supports my view. This is easy for the mind to do. And you don't learn anything new. Yuval is also conscious of and actively avoids confirmation bias, a challenging task, especially in heated debates. I've touched on this topic using the [['Yes, and...' Helps You Collaborate Better|"Yes, and..."]] technique to mitigate confirmation bias. Other techniques I use include: 1. **Playing Chess Against Myself**: This involves critically examining both sides of an argument or hypothesis. For instance, if I believe that a specific diet is the most effective for weight loss, I actively seek out credible research that both supports and contradicts this belief. This method ensures a more balanced and informed perspective, much like playing both sides in a chess game to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each position. 2. **Avoiding Echo Chambers**: It's essential to expose oneself to a variety of viewpoints. If I'm exploring the impact of social media on mental health, I won't limit my research to sources that only support my initial belief that social media is harmful. Instead, I look for studies and expert opinions that also highlight the potential benefits of social media, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the topic. 3. **Data-Driven Decisions**: Relying on empirical or factual evidence rather than personal opinion is key. I use this technique quite often for document drafting at work. For example, when evaluating what are the top security risks we should address first, I don't just rely on anecdotal customer feedbacks. Instead, I analyze data from historical security findings and campaigns to see what the numbers reveal about their true impact and occurrence likelihood, allowing for a more objective and less biased decision-making process. ## Press the Delete Button Don't get overly attached to your creations. Yuval is a deep thinker and engages in extensive brainstorming during writing, formulating big ideas and theories on paper. Despite having written a New York Times bestseller, he remains aware that one success doesn't make him immune to incorrect ideas. Hence, he is willing to press the delete button, discarding what he has created, overcoming the fear of admitting mistakes and the sunk cost of effort, to start afresh. >I have the confidence to start formulating some brave idea. Most of them turn out to be nonsense. But I trust myself not to be attached, not to become attached to my own nonsense. This is a skill I've been actively practicing. I used to view my projects as my "babies," cherishing them deeply. However, this mindset made it difficult to detach from flawed ideas. One primary reason I believe is the fear of facing failure, and I used to perceive failures as my own incompetent. Adopting a [[The Rewarding Effort Mindset and Its Impact on Performance|growth mindset]] helped me view failure as a learning opportunity rather than a reflection of incompetence. This shift in perspective allows me to focus more on the feasibility and alignment of ideas, leading to faster experimentation and iteration. ## One Skill to Rule Them All Learning is a vital skill to adapt in our rapidly changing world. >We don't know what skills will be needed. So the most important skill is the skill to keep learning and keep changing throughout our lives, which is very, very difficult. To keep reinventing ourselves. It's a deep, again, it's in a way a spiritual practice. To build your personality. To build your mind as a very flexible mind. Yuval noted that this is the first time in history that no one knows what the world will look like in 10 years. To second this point, I never imagined an AI tool such as ChatGPT would be so accessible and impactful for end customers 5 years ago, and I can't imagine what AI is capable of in the next 5 years. AI has made significant advancements in numerous domains, such as language translation, [programming](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot), knowledge base, art generation, etc. Its evolution is unprecedented, and while it may not replace specialized jobs, it serves as a powerful tool to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. To me, learning new technologies, like AI products, is similar to learning how to use a computer to make my life easier. I believe embracing the skill of learning with an open mind is essential to harnessing great powers, such as AI, to thrive in a fast evolving world. ## Conclusion Yuval Noah Harari's insights, as shared in his conversation with Lex Fridman, highlight the importance of mindfulness, critical thinking, and adaptability in our fast-paced, information-rich era. Emphasizing meditation for mental clarity, advocating for a selective 'information diet', and encouraging an approach to problem-solving that avoids confirmation bias, Harari emphasizes the need for continuous learning and intellectual flexibility. These principles offer valuable guidance for my personal and intellectual growth, and I'd like to wrap this note up in Lex Fridman podcast style with a quote: >[!quote] >Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. > \-- Mahatma Gandhi