How does Stefan Molyneux think ?

[Karabesh]

I wonder in awe and amazement when I hear Mr SM connect ideas from across domains and bring forward  analogies. When he reasons and sees the truth for what it is and does not let filters influence his interpretation of events.

 

I wonder, does he use a specific system to visualize concept and ideas and retrieve the matching patterns from his brain ? Is there a method to store these concepts and retrieve them quickly when needed. For Example Does he use lateral thinking ? 

 

Well I am desperate to improve my thinking in any way shape or form. 

 

Any ideas welcome.

Karabesh

[ParaSait]

I think it's because he has a very strong, thought through philosophical framework. He also has years of experience doing conversations and debates.

So, I think there's no secret trick or anything. It's just that if the brain were a muscle, he has been powertraining it.

[Karabesh]

In 1947 Thor Heyerdahl crossed the pacific ocean on a raft from South America to the Polynesian islands. If he was given an ocean going boat and some basic instructions he could have croseed the same ocean much more safley and in a shorter time period. Trained people can memorize a pack of card in under 60 seconds it is all based on a technique. A person given some basic instructions can survive in a jungle for weeks rather than days. 

 

I am not saying that to master philosophy one does not need 40,000 hours. I am saying that there could possibly be a techique on how to connect ideas, retrieve information, store information in the brain that make thinking and seeing the truth a simpler process. 

[FriendlyHacker]

You can only think and express things you are familiar with, ideas do not come from nowhere, they come from other people and are adjusted/combined according to your immediate needs. And in order to be familiarized with many kinds of concepts that allow for a good mix of unexpected arguments, all you need to do is read and learn a shitload of different ideas.

The good thing about reading books is that you can learn lifelong experiences of other people, without the trouble of going through all trial and error yourself. In the end you will become a combination of all the people you have read and learned from, so choose carefully what you want to learn.


You can check what I wrote about the creative process here, if you want to read about these ideas more in-depth.
https://board.freedomainradio.com/topic/42727-what-is-creativity-and-how-it-shapes-our-future/

[Wuzzums]

You wanna know what's the secret to memorizing a deck of card in under a minute? Or the secret to creating great artwork? Or having great verbal skills? Or to having a great physique? Or to be good at thinking? Or to be an excellent spokesperson? Or to be great at anything?

 

Well the secret to all of that is that there is no secret. It's just practice, determination and ultimately sacrifice. The pursuit of excellence in one field will force you to forgo a lot of what life has to offer. Stefan is great at thinking but he's not worth a damn at sculpting (presumably).

 

There are no 3 minutes abs type of shortcuts in life. You gave the example of the guy that could have crossed the Pacific Ocean a lot easier had he followed some instructions. That's a presumption. Did he have the know-how to understand those instructions? How much time did/would it take to acquire the know-how? How much effort was spent into figuring out the easy method in the first place?

 

There's also no such thing as "simple". A simple concept is just a concept that your brain fully understands, it's the illusion of simplicity. I was once talking to this guy about the free market and he kept arguing against it and I had no idea what he was trying to say up until I figured out it he had no idea what free market was. He considered the free market to be trade but he did not include labor in the trade, for him labor was outside the concept of the free market. This lack of knowledge made the concept of the free market foreign and confusing to him, even though for me it was just common sense. He did not do the work, I did, therefore I could understand the concept more easily.

 

Going with a formula for thinking is limiting because you don't understand the worth of the formula itself and you won't be able to recognize a better formula if it appears. Knowing the formula E=mc² does not make me a physicist. Knowing how that formula came into existence and what its implications are does.

[prolix]

The trick is to see the big picture. The biggest picture you can. Then the details kinda fall into place. Otherwise you are dealing with a lot of memorization and complex mental organization. I think this is what "first principles" is really about; what are the primary truths of a situation? Then from there you can fit in all the little examples and supporting pieces...

[Pepin]

Of course I am guessing based on observations below, so take it with a grain of salt. I am basing a lot of this on general ideas I have about how people think and how I think.

 

Stefan does not do too much conscious thinking, yet rather delegates most of his thinking to other parts of his psyche. This is how I tend to think, and it very useful as you just wait for answers and ideas to come to you. A common occurrence when he is asked a tough question or doesn't quite know what to say is that he will stall for time in order to allow his unconscious to process an answer.

 

Where I think Stefan is relying most on his self is when he tries to process something that doesn't really make sense. He has the habit of rubbing his forehead in this instances. I don't know why this happens exactly, as it is common to most people, but I think it has something to do with relieving an overworked prefrontal cortex. Maybe it brings in more blood through massage? Or perhaps stimulation around the surrounding area has a corollary effect of stimulating regions of the brain in proximity? Or it might just be a way of relieving stress. I don't know.

 

I would also credit his understanding of epistemology as a large factor. It is hard to convey, but a mind with a good epistemology can organize itself extremely well. Having conceptual definitions, non-contradictory concepts, and the ability to automatically deconstuct arguments into a epistemologically correct statement can save so much time and processing power. I personally have gone through a huge mental organization since learning about epistemology, and I have to say the the fluidity of my thinking, and the connections I can make are far enhanced.

 

Lastly, Stefan has a very instinctive skill with universalizing ideas. I think this is related to his conceptual capacities, but regardless, it really helps in the field of ethics.