A THREAD on key ideas from the book "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" by Adam Grant:
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We listen to views that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard.
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We listen to views that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard.
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The less intelligent we are in a particular domain, the more we seem to overestimate our actual intelligence in that domain.
The less intelligent we are in a particular domain, the more we seem to overestimate our actual intelligence in that domain.
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How do you know? It’s a question we need to ask more often, both of ourselves and of others.
How do you know? It’s a question we need to ask more often, both of ourselves and of others.
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You’ve probably met some football fans who are convinced they know more than the coaches on the sidelines.
That’s the armchair quarterback syndrome, where confidence exceeds competence.
You’ve probably met some football fans who are convinced they know more than the coaches on the sidelines.
That’s the armchair quarterback syndrome, where confidence exceeds competence.
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As we think and talk, we often slip into the mindsets of three different professions: preachers, prosecutors, and politicians.
As we think and talk, we often slip into the mindsets of three different professions: preachers, prosecutors, and politicians.
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We all have blind spots in our knowledge and opinions.
The bad news is that they can leave us blind to our blindness, which gives us false confidence in our judgment and prevents us from rethinking.
The good news is...
We all have blind spots in our knowledge and opinions.
The bad news is that they can leave us blind to our blindness, which gives us false confidence in our judgment and prevents us from rethinking.
The good news is...
...that with the right kind of confidence, we can learn to see ourselves more clearly and update our views.
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A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it’s time to abandon some of your most treasured tools—and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.
A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it’s time to abandon some of your most treasured tools—and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.
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“Let’s agree to disagree” shouldn’t end a discussion. It should start a new conversation, with a focus on understanding and learning rather than arguing and persuading.
“Let’s agree to disagree” shouldn’t end a discussion. It should start a new conversation, with a focus on understanding and learning rather than arguing and persuading.
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When we’re in scientist mode, we refuse to let our ideas become ideologies.
We don’t start with answers or solutions; we lead with questions and puzzles.
When we’re in scientist mode, we refuse to let our ideas become ideologies.
We don’t start with answers or solutions; we lead with questions and puzzles.
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Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind.
It means being actively open-minded.
It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.
Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind.
It means being actively open-minded.
It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.
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Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn.
Yet in a turbulent world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn.
Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn.
Yet in a turbulent world, there’s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn.
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Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems.
Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems.
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A mark of lifelong learners is recognizing that they can learn something from everyone they meet.
A mark of lifelong learners is recognizing that they can learn something from everyone they meet.
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To paraphrase a line attributed to Isaac Asimov, great discoveries often begin not with “Eureka!” but with “That’s funny . . .”
To paraphrase a line attributed to Isaac Asimov, great discoveries often begin not with “Eureka!” but with “That’s funny . . .”
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You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think.
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