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<title>Why do we still suck? - SPK's Rationality Essays</title>
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<h1 id="post-title">Why do we still suck?</h1>
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<p><strong>Entry question</strong>: Why aren’t we getting results from the great techniques we have?</p>
<hr />
<h1 id="its-elementary-dr.watson">It’s elementary, Dr. Watson</h1>
<p>Why aren’t we getting benefits? What’s going wrong? Is it the techniques? Is it us?</p>
<p>Despite knowing so many brilliant techniques for improving our lives, why do we still suck?</p>
<p>Think of your best answer.</p>
<hr />
<p>Ok, now. Here’s your first empirical test on <a href="./Naive-Realism.html">Naive Realism</a>.</p>
<p>What is wrong with this statement?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I got some great techniques and I applied them, but I didn’t get any results.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Find out as many places as you can where Naive Realism screws you here.</p>
<hr />
<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Done?</p>
<hr />
<p>Ok. We need to differentiate between X and the <em>feeling</em> of X.</p>
<p>Here’s a first shot.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Naive Realism Attack #1</strong>: I got some techniques that <em>feel</em> like they’re great …</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Techniques can just <em>feel</em> like they’re great but not do much at all. Have your so-called techniques been tested empirically and shown to give benefits? If not, why would you expect them to give you results? (Rhetorical)</p>
<hr />
<p>Did you catch that one?</p>
<p>Are there some other places where Naive Realism can creep in and screw us? Let’s see.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Naive Realism Attack #2</strong>: I <em>feel</em> like I got some techniques …</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You may think you have got techniques from somewhere. But have you?</p>
<p>Perhaps all you did was learn about the name for the technique (“Scientific Method”, “Positive Psychology”, “Deliberate Practice”, etc.) and maybe some ideas about what goes on inside. You may have watched a TED talk about it or read a couple of books. You may have felt like you <em>got</em> the ideas they were talking about. It all seemed to make sense.</p>
<p>But can you <em>actually</em> use it in your life? Do you know how to go step-by-step from start to finish? Do you know what the common mistakes are? Will you able to spot it if you do something wrong?</p>
<p>If not, do you really have the technique with you?</p>
<hr />
<p>Are we done? Is that all Naive Realism can do to us?</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Naive Realism Attack #3</strong>: … I <em>feel</em> like I applied the techniques …</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It seems like you have applied that technique a lot and still not got results. But have you?</p>
<p>You may feel that you have “absorbed” the technique and that it is part of you and that you’re <em>surely</em> using it in your life. But are you? Do you have any evidence to suggest that you did it a lot?</p>
<p>How many times have you used your pet technique? How many times have you <em>actually</em> used the Scientific Method or Positive Psychology techniques or Unit Testing or whatever?</p>
<p>You’re not allowed to say you have <em>used</em> a technique unless you have empirical evidence that says you did.</p>
<hr />
<p>Ok. That’s all. Right? How much more can Naive Realism torture us?</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Naive Realism Attack #4</strong>: … , but I <em>feel</em> like I didn’t get any results.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>How would you know? Did you use an empirical tool to measure your performance? Did you check it before and after? For example, did you check your weight before and after your new exercise regimen? Did you take a happiness test to measure your happiness before and after you used some new “techniques”? (Strange idea, right?) <a href="#fn1" class="footnoteRef" id="fnref1"><sup>1</sup></a></p>
<p>If not, how can you complain about the technique’s uselessness? (Or rejoice about its awesomeness, for that matter.)</p>
<p>We need empirical measurements. Else, we’re just shooting in the dark.</p>
<hr />
<p>That should do it for now.</p>
<p>Let’s put it all together.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Naive Realism Attack</strong>: I <em>feel</em> like I got some techniques that <em>feel</em> like they’re great and I <em>feel</em> like I applied them, but I <em>feel</em> like I didn’t get any results.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A far cry from our original complaint, isn’t it?</p>
<p><strong>Summary</strong>: Why aren’t we getting the results we want?</p>
<p>It’s one or more of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>We <em>think</em> some technique works. It actually doesn’t.</p></li>
<li><p>We <em>think</em> we understand how to use a technique. We actually don’t.</p></li>
<li><p>We <em>think</em> we use some technique a lot. We actually don’t.</p></li>
<li><p>We <em>think</em> we measure the effects of some technique. We actually don’t.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>In short, failure to get empirical evidence.</p>
<hr />
<p>You may be thinking, “Why the f*ck are we messing up so badly when it comes to techniques? Why do we keep screwing around instead of doing the stuff that will actually improve our lives?”</p>
<p>And, most importantly, “How do we get out of this hole?”</p>
<p>All that and more - coming soon.</p>
<hr />
<h1 id="footnotes">Footnotes</h1>
<div class="footnotes">
<hr />
<ol>
<li id="fn1"><p>Don’t we just <em>know</em> if we’re happy or not? No. We. Don’t.</p>
<p>Or rather, it might fluctuate from moment to moment. You might want to use something like a Life Satisfaction test to look at more meaningful information about the quality of your life.<a href="#fnref1">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="info">Created: May 14, 2015</div>
<div class="info">Last modified: September 28, 2019</div>
<div class="info">Status: finished</div>
<div class="info"><b>Tags</b>: Naive Realism, techniques</div>
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