Thinking Clearly
A practical guide to testing your assumptions, avoiding cognitive traps, and making better decisions. No philosophy degree required-just honest self-examination.
Your brain is not a truth-seeking machine. It's a survival machine that happens to think. Understanding its shortcuts, biases, and blind spots is the first step to working around them.
What You'll Learn
- How your brain deceives you - Common cognitive biases and why they exist
- Testing assumptions - Applying scientific thinking to your own beliefs
- Beyond either/or - Why most choices aren't binary
- Emotional decision-making - Recognizing when feelings override reason
- Changing your mind - The underrated skill of updating beliefs
Prerequisites
- No prerequisites - everyone thinks
- Willingness to question your own assumptions
- Comfort with occasionally being wrong
Why This Matters
- Every day you make decisions based on untested assumptions
- Some assumptions are wrong and costing you opportunities
- This isn't about being smarter - it's about being honest with yourself
A Note on Tone
This series isn't here to insult your intelligence. Everyone-including the person writing this-falls for these mental traps regularly. The goal isn't perfection. It's awareness. Once you can see the traps, you can sometimes avoid them. And "sometimes" is a massive improvement over "never."
Why Your Brain Lies to You
An introduction to cognitive biases-the mental shortcuts that helped our ancestors survive but mislead us today.
Testing Your Assumptions
How to apply scientific thinking to your everyday beliefs-without a laboratory or a PhD.
Beyond Either/Or
Why most things aren't binary-and how two-option thinking limits your choices.
Decisions Under Emotion
Recognizing when anger, fear, or excitement are driving your choices-and what to do about it.
Seeking Disconfirmation
Why actively looking for evidence you're wrong is the most powerful thinking skill-and the hardest to practice.
Changing Your Mind
The underrated skill of updating your beliefs-and why it's a sign of strength, not weakness.