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Our mission is to create a space for good faith discussions on the things that matter, gaining a better understanding of ourselves, our relationships with others, and our place in the world we live in.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Should you reverse any advice you hear?Ava's Downtown Market & Deli, Mountain View, CA
NOTE THE NEW VENUE!
We are going to try a new venue this time. It is pretty close to one of our previous venues - Olympus Cafe in Mountain View. Don't forget to buy something at the deli!
Discussion topic
We are going to discuss this piece, the reading of which is highly recommended (it’s only 1,500 words):
https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/03/24/should-you-reverse-any-advice-you-hear/
Scott Alexander argues that most advice comes in opposing pairs (“be kinder to yourself” vs “stop making excuses”). People often gather into communities that rally around one side, and because we self-select into those communities, the people least in need of the message hear it most—while those who need the opposite drift into their own echo chambers. Result: dueling “virtue spirals,” each reinforcing its favorite half-truth.
In Scott's own words:
“When a young person is looking for job advice, I worry that all the artsy creative people whose heads are already way too high in the skies will be reading books by artsy creative people who urge them to follow their dreams, and so be even less mindful of the importance of a secure future. And all the hard-headed down-to-earth people will naturally gravitate toward reading Have A Very Secure Future By Going Into Business by Warren Buffett, and maybe never get reminded of the importance of following dreams.”
Discussion questions:- Do you agree with the author that there is such a self-reinforcing tendency?
- In what cases do your media and friend groups bias you toward one side?
- When is calibration of the advice (dial up or dial down) better than full reversal?
- How can advice-giving communities reach the people who most need the opposite advice?
- Share a case where reversing advice clearly helped (or clearly harmed).