Core, Curate, Cultivate

From Opacity Blocks Agreement by Robin Hanson.  This closely relates to an opinion I have been avoiding but have been slowly evolving towards.  First, Hanson.

But, alas, our minds don’t seem to be set up to easily take others’ estimates on various random X as standard input. When others can show us their reasoning in enough local detail, we can often assimilate that reasoning into our thoughts, and thus their conclusions as well. When it works, this is the magic of conversation. But when we just see estimates without supporting inputs, we struggle to guess what inputs might have let them to these conclusions. Sometimes we can make good guesses, but quite often we cannot. 

So this is a plausible explanation for much human disagreement: while we can just simply put weight on others’ opinions re our decisions that are close enough to those opinions, we just don’t know how to update our mental systems to take their opaque opinions into account more generally. Our minds aren’t set up to take those as standard inputs. It is just too hard to search in the space of all possible ways their minds could have come to such conclusions. While we can and do take their opinions as hints re what arguments and evidence to seek and consider, we find it hard to integrate their mere opinions deeply into our thinking. 

I used to think about knowledge and wisdom overwhelmingly in terms of cultivation - what are the sources, behaviors, and practices which you need to build your capacity to develop useful truths and a robust epistemology.

I later began adding the assumption that people were likely benefited by some base robust culture or religion.  Whatever you are blessed with or evolve to, it gives pre-existing answers and it is far easier to evolve from those or refine them than it is to come up with a workable framework in the first place.  I suspect many people are grossly underserved by treating culture and religion as marginal esoterica rather than the potentially useful foundation they can be (at least most well evolved and demonstrated cultures and religions; not all are.)

Further, in the past couple of years, I increasingly considered curating as perhaps as important at cultivating knowledge and wisdom.

The world is infinitely experiential as, increasingly, is knowledge.  There are far more voices (and opinions) that can be heard than there is time to assess them.  There is far more data and information available for assessment than there is time to assess.  Increasingly, I think a critical skill is the ability to effectively assess sources and dispense with noise.  We want to respect all opinions but we simply do not have the time to assess all opinions.  Start with, and rely primarily on, trustworthy sources.  Winnow them when they are not reliable.  Remain open and find new sources that can be usefully true.  But curate, curate, curate!

The resulting model for an optimized epistemological life, within an Age of Enlightenment Classical Liberal construct, drawing heavily on Stoicism, Christianity, Logic, Reason, and Scientific Method and Empiricism is:

Core - Be open to an early commitment to a core of evolved (and demonstrated) knowledge and wisdom via Culture and Religion.  Evolve and discard elements as knowledge and experience dictate but it is far more efficient and faster to start with something and refine than it is to build from scratch.

Curate - Rely on the best, not all sources are equal in value or effectiveness.  Discard low value sources ruthlessly and be open to unexpected new sources that prove their value.  But get rid of value detracting sources of knowledge and experience.

Cultivate - To the degree possible prioritize the best sources of knowledge, wisdom and experience.  Regardless of their guise.  There is a transfer but as importantly there is an example.  

Accept the Core, be mindful to actively Curate despite a danger of being too discriminating, and always Cultivate.  Learning from others is faster, safer, and cheaper than your own learning by doing.