Shane Parrish
Founder of Farnam Street (fs.blog) and host of The Knowledge Project podcast. Writes and curates on decision-making, mental models and rational thinking.
Everything they publish, on ppll ↗
Shane Parrish did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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Their wordsHanlon’s razor is a mental safeguard against the temptation to label behavior as malicious when incompetence is the most common response.
↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 1st of 6 in this piece
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Their wordsThis isn’t to say that genuine malice doesn’t exist. Of course, it does. But in most interactions, stupidity is a far more common explanation than malevolence.
↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 2nd of 6 in this piece
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Their wordsWhen we assume stupidity rather than malice, we respond differently. Instead of getting defensive or lashing out, we approach the situation with empathy and clarity.
↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 3rd of 6 in this piece
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Our reading
Inability or neglect is far more likely than malice to be the cause of a problem someone causes.
Their wordsInability or neglect is far more likely to be the cause than malice.
↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 4th of 6 in this piece
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Our reading
The more someone is disliked, the more likely their actions are to be attributed to malice.
Their wordsThe more we dislike someone or something, the more likely we are to attribute their actions to malice.
↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 5th of 6 in this piece
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Their wordsThe default is to assume no malice and forgive everything. But if malice is confirmed, be ruthless.
↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 6th of 6 in this piece
- 13 months earlier
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Their wordsthe greatest Aid to judgment is starting from a good position this is such a key Insight we often think about making the best decision possible in the moment and forget about whether we're operating from a position of strength or weakness when the moment arises
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 1st of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsit's hard to appreciate that over the long run the average person who constantly puts themselves in a good position beats the genius who finds themsel in a poor position what looks like Talent is often good positioning
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 2nd of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsone reason the best in the world make consistently good decisions is they rarely find themselves forced into a decision by circumstances they almost always operate from a position of strength
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 3rd of 12 in this recording
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Their wordseventually everyone loses the battle with willpower sometimes it's really hard to do the things we want to do so we can use safeguards to to change our Behavior
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 4th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsyour best self can create automatic rules for these situations before you face them your rule can be I don't eat dessert
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 5th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsthe way around this negotiation with yourself is to work out every day the conversation in your head goes from should I work out today to when and how do I fit this in
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 6th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordslike joining groups whose default behaviors are your desired behaviors if you want to read more join a book club if you want to run more join a running club your chosen environment rather than your willpower alone will help nudge you towards the best choices
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 7th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsif you do what everyone else does you will get the same results everyone else gets the social rewards for going with the crowd are felt long before the benefits of going against it are gained
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 8th of 12 in this recording
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Our reading
In undifferentiated work the only way to outperform is to work harder than everyone else.
Their wordsthe only way to outperform if you're doing undifferentiated work is to work harder than everyone else
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 9th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsour desire to feel right overpowers our desire to be right the ego urges us to feel right at the expense of being right
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 10th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordswhen you try to prove how right you are you ignore all the evidence to the contrary
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 11th of 12 in this recording
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Their wordsit might not be your fault but it's your responsibility there's always something you can do in the moment today to better your position tomorrow
↗STOP Playing Life on HARD MODE! | Shane Parrishyoutube.com 12th of 12 in this recording
- 20 months earlier
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Our reading
A thought experiment serves to encourage speculation and logical thinking and to change paradigms.
Their wordsThe purpose of a thought experiment is to encourage speculation, logical thinking and to change paradigms.
↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 1st of 5 in this piece
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Our reading
Thought experiments expose gaps in knowledge and help recognise the limits of what can be known.
Their wordsThought experiments push us outside our comfort zone by forcing us to confront questions we cannot answer with ease. They demonstrate gaps in our knowledge and help us recognize the limits of what can be known.
↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 2nd of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsThought experiments are a structured manifestation of our natural curiosity about the world.
↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 3rd of 5 in this piece
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Our reading
Philosophers use imagined scenarios not to reach a "correct" answer but to spark new ideas.
Their wordsWith the aim of illustrating a particular concept (such as free will or mortality), philosophers explore imagined scenarios. The goal is not to uncover a ‘correct’ answer, but to spark new ideas.
↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 4th of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsAlthough empirical evidence is usually necessary for science, thought experiments may be used to develop a hypothesis or to prepare for experimentation.
↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 5th of 5 in this piece
- 2 years earlier
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Their wordsIn simpler language, Occam’s razor states that the simplest explanation is preferable to one that is more complex. Simple theories are easier to verify. Simple solutions are easier to execute.
↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 1st of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsIt works best as a mental model for making initial conclusions before the full scope of information can be obtained.
↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 2nd of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsIt is important to note that, like any mental model, Occam’s razor is not foolproof. Use it with care, lest you cut yourself.
↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 3rd of 5 in this piece
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Our reading
A conclusion cannot rest on its simplicity alone; it must be backed by empirical evidence.
Their wordsA conclusion can’t rely just on its simplicity. It must be backed by empirical evidence.
↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 4th of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsOccam’s razor is not intended to be a substitute for critical thinking. It is merely a tool to help make that thinking more efficient.
↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 5th of 5 in this piece
- 17 months earlier
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Their wordsProbabilistic thinking is essentially trying to estimate, using some tools of math and logic, the likelihood of any specific outcome coming to pass. It is one of the best tools we have to improve the accuracy of our decisions.
↗The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikesfs.blog 1st of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsThe future is far from determined and we can better navigate it by understanding the likelihood of events that could impact us.
↗The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikesfs.blog 2nd of 5 in this piece