A friend on Twitter wrote:

“Self limiting beliefs tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies.”

That cannot be put much better.

The one who denies any counterfactual possibility that something could happen, does not work toward making it happen.

An act is only impossible when the laws of nature forbid its happening so. Usually it is a lack of knowledge on the person’s part (knowledge that could be attained) that leads to a possibility not becoming an actuality.

How you ever gonna know

if you never even try?

Assumed constraints; the self-limiting beliefs we impose upon ourselves, tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies.

As Confucius said:

“The man who says he can, and the man who says he can’t, are both usually right.”

They aren’t both really right. Both men can do it. But one thinks it impossible, prophesying his defeat without ever trying, that leads to that person never being able to go beyond his assumed constraints.

On the other hand, the one who thinks it possible, however ignorant he may be at the time of his belief, at least keeps the door open. He gives it a shot. Then another one. And another. Depending on his conviction, he perseveres until the goal is reached, the act is done.

Optimism is powerful.

The Amazing Things & Ideas List

• Book I’m reading:

The Science of Can and Can’t by Chiara Marletto

This book is simply fascinating. It explores a new realm of scientific explanation. Criticizing the traditional conception of physics, it suggests the addition of counterfactuals (explanations of what could or could not be) as a more complete view of the world.

As David Deutsch (author of The Beginning of Infinity) wrote of the book:

“The Science of Can and Can’t will open the doors to a dazzling set of concepts and ideas that will change the way you look at the world.”

I agree.

• Jack Butcher on the benefit of contradictions:

“can't grow without contradicting yourself”

• The irony in creating machine-like humans and human-like machines:

Arjun Khemani @arjunkhemani

Ironic how we are trying to create computers that can "think for themselves" and at the same time sending kids to school—explicitly wanting them to follow the instructions—making them learn how to think like a machine.

August 28th 2022

11 Retweets51 Likes

A post from my blog this week

• On questioning and independent thinking:

  but why can’t I ask “why”? (#177)

Excerpt:

In school, I’m often accused of talking back at the teacher. One day, after being annoyed by a seemingly unreasonable question for the nth time, the teacher coldly demanded of me, “Never ask me why.”

I thought that was rather dumb so I scoffed and said, “What? Why?”

Read the full post here.

Thank you for reading.

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Onward,
Arjun

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