The World's Best Book Summaries
Do you realize how often you make assumptions? How often do you question their validity? The Stoic philosophers were big on reason. They identified assumptions as tools people use to bypass reason. So, they would encourage you to challenge your assumptions if you want to see things as they truly are. Read more to understand the importance of being aware of—and questioning—your assumptions.
Do you try to control the world around you? What can you truly control, and how? Stoics view life in a certain way. At the center of their philosophy is recognizing what you can and can’t control. They contend that the only thing you can control is your way of thinking. Continue reading for advice from the Stoic philosophers on how to control what you can control.
Are you looking for The Daily Stoic quotes? Do you want to get a quick snapshot of the book’s principles? In The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman share insights from the ancient Stoic philosophers on how you can live a good life. At the core of Stoicism is the belief that the cardinal virtues—self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom—are the source of internal stability and the measure of a good life. Keep reading for a few quotes from the book that are sure to provoke thought and perhaps even action.
What’s Occam’s Razor, and how can it help you solve problems in life? What should you do if you’re not operating in your “region of mastery”? The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts presents a foundational set of nine mental models. According to authors Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien, these models are timeless thinking tools from a variety of fields. Keep reading to learn how these models can equip you to make better decisions, avoid consequential mistakes, and succeed in life and work.
What’s the inversion model of thinking? How can it help you solve tricky problems? In The Great Mental Models Volume 1, Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien present nine timeless, foundational mental models that will sharpen your thinking skills, and they explain how to develop your repertoire of models through a process of continuous learning. They include inversion as one of their mental models. Read more to learn how the inversion model can help you tackle problems in your path.
What is Hanlon’s Razor? How can it help you get a clearer picture of reality? Hanlon’s Razor is a self-contained “rule of thumb” for solving tough problems. When applied correctly, it can help you slice through complications, eliminate mental clutter, and home in on clear answers. Continue reading to understand what Hanlon’s Razor is and how to use it to achieve clarity and solve problems.
What are philosophical razors? How can you use them to solve problems efficiently? Are they always useful? If you have a problem to solve, you might employ a philosophical razor. Philosophical razors are rules of thumb that help you quickly eliminate unlikely solutions to a problem. Continue reading to learn a few of the most popular philosophical razors.
What’s Occam’s Razor theory? How can you use it to solve problems quickly and effectively? In the first volume of The Great Mental Models series, Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish and content strategist Rhiannon Beaubien include Occam’s Razor as one of their models, as it’s a practical thinking tool. This model helps you cut to the chase when looking for solutions. Continue reading to understand what Occam’s Razor is and how to use it.
What’s first-principles thinking? How can it help you think for yourself and more effectively? In The Great Mental Models Volume 1, Shane Parrish and Rhiannon Beaubien discuss how and why to think with mental models. Thinking from first principles is one of their foundational models. Read more to learn what first-principles thinking is and how to apply it in your own life.
What does “the map is not the territory” mean? What practical lesson can we learn from this? Alfred Korzybski, a scientist and a philosopher, keenly observed that “the map is not the territory.” He meant that a representation (the map) is not the thing it represents (the territory); it’s merely an abstraction of the thing itself. Continue reading to learn what practical implications this principle has for all of us.