I was hoping someone would write about this topic so I could share the approach that has worked for me—and you did! My approach aligns closely with the ideas in your post. Of course, this might not work for everyone, but here’s what I’ve found effective:
1. Read Widely and Deeply: As you mentioned, reading is foundational. I treat it like a sponge—absorbing ideas from as many sources as possible. I don’t limit myself to specific topics; almost nothing is off the table. The key, though, is not to rush into forming opinions. Instead, I focus on gathering perspectives and letting ideas percolate. This isn’t just something I do when solving a specific problem—it’s a constant habit of mine.
2. Embrace Solitude and Let the Subconscious Work: After gathering insights, I give my mind the space to process them. Solitude plays a significant role here. I often take long walks or drive alone, allowing my brain to wander freely. If I am working on a problem, for more straightforward challenges, a 30-minute walk or drive is usually enough to find a solution or the next step forward. For more complex issues, I let my subconscious work on them over a day or two—often by “sleeping on it.” This downtime frequently sparks clarity or a fresh perspective.
Suppose I am not working on an issue or a problem. In that case, solitude time is when I think about a topic about which I am ready to do deep thinking and form my initial opinion, even though I always keep the door open for changes based on my future reading.
3. Write and Refine: Writing is where everything comes together. As Jordan Peterson suggests, the writing imposes order on chaotic ideas. It’s a process of organizing my thoughts, expanding on the ideas I’ve gathered, and refining them into something actionable. By putting things on paper, I can clarify my thinking and usually come up with concrete steps to move forward.
If you have not read this speech “Solitude and Leadership:
If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts” by William Deresiewicz. It is an excellent introduction to the importance of solitude.
This is excellent, definitely something to read a few times and savor.
In this hyper-connected world, we often lose sight of the value of being alone with our thoughts. Solitude allows us to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us, leading to more thoughtful and courageous leadership. It's a refreshing reminder that sometimes, disconnecting from the noise can be the key to truly connecting with our inner leader.
That quote by Krawczyk is sublime - "They were to be possessed of a democratic spirit marked by independent judgment, the freedom to measure action and to express disagreement, and the crucial responsibility never to tolerate tyranny."
I read it a few times a year to remind myself why I should never outsource my thinking to anyone, definitely not a machine. This will become more important as we move towards a future world of AGI (which I still believe won’t happen for decades to come, if ever). I should just use AI as another tool to assist in thinking.
You have captured the essence of what I believe with respect to outsourcing thinking, this is a fear I have for society - I see it time and time again at work and try to encourage others to read, to think. AI is a tool, aiding human intelligence. The timeline on AGI is a different matter, its how we define AGI - I think what the researchers call AGI and SuperIntelligence are distinctively different... superintelligence for sure is a decade away. I should write more about this :-)
Yes, there is no single definition of AGI, and the thought process is that once we reach AGI, superintelligence is the next small step, and AGI will take us to ASI very quickly.
However, I have doubts about the current way of solving this problem, as human intelligence is much more than math, models, and algorithms. We would need to code common sense, tacit knowledge, rules, the ability to sense the world like humans do, and new models. GenAI will not get us there. Let’s see where we get in the next few years. The fundamental issue is that not every problem is just a math problem, and many people in my profession think otherwise.
Take a look -- "After OpenAI announced the O3 model last month, I predicted that we’d achieve AGI with an 80% probability sometime in 2025 & a 95% certainty by 2026. I stand by that. ASI is also likely around 2030. The next several years will be the most important turning point in human history." https://x.com/DeryaTR_/status/1876645753004646467
The importance of diverse reading: Keeping an open mind and exploring different perspectives is crucial for developing well-rounded ideas.
The power of solitude: Giving your mind space to wander and process information is often when the real breakthroughs happen. This is so important for me, although I have an ability to zone totally in and cut off everything around me... yet I also crave solitude, no noise, no distraction.
Writing as a tool for clarity: Putting thoughts into words forces you to organize and refine them, leading to actionable insights.
Luckily, the noise does not bother me when I am thinking or focused. You can have loud music playing next to me as long as you are not talking to me or distracting me; I can think and work. However, nature walks are the best time to think for me.
Fabulous post, Dr. Lewis. Thank you. You've succinctly captured everything I value in my discipline of weekly blogging since 2007. What started as a channel to promote myself and my services has turned into a critical part of how I clarify my thinking and then articulate those thoughts in an engaging, credible and compelling way.
Thank you Ross and for eloquently capturing the spirit of the benefit of writing (and reading). You also picked up on the discipline of regularity, which Peterson expressed. I look forward to reading your posts. Colin
I was hoping someone would write about this topic so I could share the approach that has worked for me—and you did! My approach aligns closely with the ideas in your post. Of course, this might not work for everyone, but here’s what I’ve found effective:
1. Read Widely and Deeply: As you mentioned, reading is foundational. I treat it like a sponge—absorbing ideas from as many sources as possible. I don’t limit myself to specific topics; almost nothing is off the table. The key, though, is not to rush into forming opinions. Instead, I focus on gathering perspectives and letting ideas percolate. This isn’t just something I do when solving a specific problem—it’s a constant habit of mine.
2. Embrace Solitude and Let the Subconscious Work: After gathering insights, I give my mind the space to process them. Solitude plays a significant role here. I often take long walks or drive alone, allowing my brain to wander freely. If I am working on a problem, for more straightforward challenges, a 30-minute walk or drive is usually enough to find a solution or the next step forward. For more complex issues, I let my subconscious work on them over a day or two—often by “sleeping on it.” This downtime frequently sparks clarity or a fresh perspective.
Suppose I am not working on an issue or a problem. In that case, solitude time is when I think about a topic about which I am ready to do deep thinking and form my initial opinion, even though I always keep the door open for changes based on my future reading.
3. Write and Refine: Writing is where everything comes together. As Jordan Peterson suggests, the writing imposes order on chaotic ideas. It’s a process of organizing my thoughts, expanding on the ideas I’ve gathered, and refining them into something actionable. By putting things on paper, I can clarify my thinking and usually come up with concrete steps to move forward.
If you have not read this speech “Solitude and Leadership:
If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts” by William Deresiewicz. It is an excellent introduction to the importance of solitude.
https://theamericanscholar.org/solitude-and-leadership/
This is excellent, definitely something to read a few times and savor.
In this hyper-connected world, we often lose sight of the value of being alone with our thoughts. Solitude allows us to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us, leading to more thoughtful and courageous leadership. It's a refreshing reminder that sometimes, disconnecting from the noise can be the key to truly connecting with our inner leader.
That quote by Krawczyk is sublime - "They were to be possessed of a democratic spirit marked by independent judgment, the freedom to measure action and to express disagreement, and the crucial responsibility never to tolerate tyranny."
I read it a few times a year to remind myself why I should never outsource my thinking to anyone, definitely not a machine. This will become more important as we move towards a future world of AGI (which I still believe won’t happen for decades to come, if ever). I should just use AI as another tool to assist in thinking.
You have captured the essence of what I believe with respect to outsourcing thinking, this is a fear I have for society - I see it time and time again at work and try to encourage others to read, to think. AI is a tool, aiding human intelligence. The timeline on AGI is a different matter, its how we define AGI - I think what the researchers call AGI and SuperIntelligence are distinctively different... superintelligence for sure is a decade away. I should write more about this :-)
Yes, there is no single definition of AGI, and the thought process is that once we reach AGI, superintelligence is the next small step, and AGI will take us to ASI very quickly.
However, I have doubts about the current way of solving this problem, as human intelligence is much more than math, models, and algorithms. We would need to code common sense, tacit knowledge, rules, the ability to sense the world like humans do, and new models. GenAI will not get us there. Let’s see where we get in the next few years. The fundamental issue is that not every problem is just a math problem, and many people in my profession think otherwise.
Take a look -- "After OpenAI announced the O3 model last month, I predicted that we’d achieve AGI with an 80% probability sometime in 2025 & a 95% certainty by 2026. I stand by that. ASI is also likely around 2030. The next several years will be the most important turning point in human history." https://x.com/DeryaTR_/status/1876645753004646467
Brilliant, I like how you emphasize these:
The importance of diverse reading: Keeping an open mind and exploring different perspectives is crucial for developing well-rounded ideas.
The power of solitude: Giving your mind space to wander and process information is often when the real breakthroughs happen. This is so important for me, although I have an ability to zone totally in and cut off everything around me... yet I also crave solitude, no noise, no distraction.
Writing as a tool for clarity: Putting thoughts into words forces you to organize and refine them, leading to actionable insights.
Now I will read the William Deresiewicz article.
Luckily, the noise does not bother me when I am thinking or focused. You can have loud music playing next to me as long as you are not talking to me or distracting me; I can think and work. However, nature walks are the best time to think for me.
Fabulous post, Dr. Lewis. Thank you. You've succinctly captured everything I value in my discipline of weekly blogging since 2007. What started as a channel to promote myself and my services has turned into a critical part of how I clarify my thinking and then articulate those thoughts in an engaging, credible and compelling way.
Thank you Ross and for eloquently capturing the spirit of the benefit of writing (and reading). You also picked up on the discipline of regularity, which Peterson expressed. I look forward to reading your posts. Colin