Simple Principles
There are many things I do not know. For some of the things that I do not know there are others who do know these things.
To acknowledge my ignorance about things is much better than to pretend to know things that I don’t. For some of the things that I do not know it does not matter that I do not know them.
Most of the things I do know I have learned from others. I am an expert in only a few things. I have only a limited number of skills.
It takes a great deal of effort to become a true expert in anything. Therefore, I should treat expertise with respect.
All people deserve respect, but some people know more about some topics or are more skilled in certain areas than other people. The opinions of experts should be more valuable to me than those of non-experts. Nobody is an expert in everything.
Finding the right teachers is an important skill. Asking the question “Are you an expert?” is not enough. It is smart to look for answers from people who are smarter than me, in a given area.
There is a difference between my inner world and the outer world, but both are real. I have privileged access to my inner world but not to the outer world.
To see whether “I have a headache” is true I can check my inner world. My inner world is a treasure trove of knowledge about myself. The only thing I have to do is look inside and pay attention.
A therapist or teacher may be able to help make sense of what goes on inside me, but if they claim expert knowledge of my inner world I should be very wary.
Truth is correspondence with reality. An arithmetical statement such as “2 + 2 = 4” is true because it is indeed the case that when we add two to two we get four. The statement “Rome was sacked in 410” is true because it is indeed the case that in that year the city was taken by a foreign enemy (Alaric and the Visigoths).
What looks like 6 to me may look like 9 to you. This is a matter of perspective, and we can both be right. But it is impossible to believe 6 and 9 at the same time and from the same perspective.
If I believe A and you believe not-A, this may be due to a difference in perspective, but A and not-A cannot both be true at the same time and from the same perspective, for if A corresponds to reality then not-A does not, and vice versa. “Opposite assertions cannot be true at the same time.” (Aristotle)
Some true things make me feel good. Other true things make me feel bad. Whether a true thing makes me feel good or bad has nothing to do with the truth of it.
Fools are those who are not aware of their own ignorance. It is pointless to discuss the truth of things with fools but it is also important for me to learn how to deal with fools without making a fool of myself.
You don’t have to be an expert to be able to detect bullshit. A turd is recognized by its smell.