Less Wrong Views

mistake 1: no goals

If we do not aim at targets then we have no way of learning from our mistakes because we have no outcomes to use in the assessment of our actions.

mistake 2: wrong goals

If we harm people in the pursuit of our goals then we can get better at choosing our targets.

mistake 3: too easy goals

If we aim at easy targets we will never accomplish anything of difficulty and may never learn the importance of cooperation.

mistake 4: too difficult goals

If we aim at too difficult goals we will never be able to assess our actions and identify our mistakes.

mistake 5: wrong views

If members of our team have wrong views we will be unable to cooperate and we will be unable to accomplish difficult goals. I am reminded of the elephant who has learned helplessness from an early age. The baby elephant is bound to a location with a leg clamp and learns that resisting the leg clamp is futile. The baby elephant grows into an adult who can resist the leg clamp but does not try to resist the leg clamp because the adult elephant has been broken with training.

The most wrong view is the belief that all humans are broken. The human who believes all humans are broken is assuredly broken because they believe it is so. This broken human also believes that all other humans are broken and this prejudice against humans prevents the believer from concerning themselves with the accomplishment of difficult goals when the accomplishment of goals is possible and necessary for solving real problems.

Being interested in the accomplishment of difficult goals is the key for becoming a person who is able to accomplish difficult goals and is able to identify other people who can accomplish difficult goals.

notes

Written by Gavin Palmer practicing a relationship with the Greatest Intentions

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