Rapid Idea Improvement

Rapid Idea Improvement

By Bart VanderhaegenBusiness
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Rapid Idea Improvement episodes

  • Episode 97 - The relationship between empathy and the kind of epistemology you use

    Empathy is …the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner

    It results in a statement/ idea about the other: I think/ know that this person feels this …

    And here is the point where epistemology comes in

    2 possible errors:

    1. You may be wrong because we didn’t put in effort
    2. They may be wrong in expressing how they feel

      3. Conclusion : your epistemology is as important as your willingness to show empathy

      10 min
    3. Episode 96 - About the philosophy of realism and the pinnacle of all realism claims: the Church-Turing-Deutsch thesis

      The Church-Turing-Deutsch thesis: Every physical process can be simulated, to arbitrary precision, by a universal computing device.

      This claim seems to be the pinnacle claim of all realist claims, I go into it's various consequences for realism

      1. There is a reality out there - actually 1 reality
      2. We can create knowledge about that reality
      3. That knowledge is not only descriptive but also explanatory (given that a computer program is an explanation)
      4. Our knowledge can grow, matching reality eventually to arbitrary precision
        1. Reality is deterministic
        2. Physical processes are equivalent to computations. Computations cause physical stuff to move. So computations have causal power. So there are 2 types of causation : the laws of physics and knowledge (computer programs)
        3. Given that our brains are Turing machines we are universal computers: we can understand everything once given the program
        4. Given that there are no barriers to evolving our algorithms and create knowledge, we are also universal explainers: we can discover all theories that match reality to arbitrary precision
        5. If morality and aesthetics involve physical processes (like suffering in morality or attraction in aesthetics) then we can objectively simulate morality and aesthetics as well. Making them also fields of objective knowledge, independent of our minds

          6. So if you a "real realist", say you endores the CTD thesis ;-)

          15 min
        7. Episode 94 - 9 points that can improve the “thinking” in organisations
          1. Discussions are about ideas, not people
            1. Start from a problem to solve (a difficulty)
            2. Ideas solve problems in a specific way (they are not random or standard, general recipes)
            3. Ideas are transparent and written down
            4. Ideas should be explanations, not just descriptions
              1. The hierarchy should participate in the improvement of ideas (offering criticisms, not imposing them or not show no intrest at all in ideas)
              2. Ideas have idea owners that own the improvement of their idea (with enough autonomy)
              3. Criticisms that improve ideas is welcomed and becomes a tradition
                1. Thinking = seeking mistakes/ making improvements … NOT justifying that you are right
                  2. 24 min
                3. Episode 92 - Management seems to be the science of approximations

                  What do I mean ?

                  • In management, we tend to “replace” actual ideas with approximations too easily and too quickly
                  • High level statements about goals, visions, attitudes
                  • Numbers about everything (dashboards, …)

                    • Why do we do this ?

                    • Simplicity: it becomes measurable and spreadable
                    • Assume that the approximation will do the job

                      • Does it work

                      • Ideas do something different than approximations

                        • Alternative

                        • Focus on ideas, specific ideas and how to improve them
                        • Using transparenc, autonomy and cooperation as drivers in that process
                          • 9 min
                        • Episode 88 - The 2 fundamentally different ways of arguing/ dialoguing with each other

                          Karl Popper explained that an argument never should go like:

                          • I am sure of because of all these reasons: …

                            • He explained that arguments should go like this:

                            • Here is my theory … and it has these flaws: .... Here is another theory which has less flaws so might be more useful …

                              • The problem with first way

                              • It assumes that knowledge cannot grow: that there are only a finite number of solutions and that we have to pick the right one
                              • It assumes you can proof that you are right
                                • Confirmation/ verification is impossible
                                • No authorities ...
                                  • 10 min

                                About Rapid Idea Improvement

                                From the publisher's feed

                                A podcast about the theory of knowledge applied to all fields that interest me (management, economics, physics, ...). My attempt at understanding & applying the ideas of Karl Popper (and his…