That is, that an akrasia technique cannot be encoded as a string of symbols?
Think of it like learning to play an instrument. Sure, you can describe good technique in writing, but it’s hard to correct someone’s technique in writing. Odds are the next part of the book they’re going to read won’t have the piece of information that would prove most useful in improving their technique. That’s why people take music lessons.
Think of it like learning to play an instrument. Sure, you can describe good technique in writing, but it’s hard to correct someone’s technique in writing. Odds are the next part of the book they’re going to read won’t have the piece of information that would prove most useful in improving their technique. That’s why people take music lessons.
This. Exactly this. Awesomely this. I am totally going to steal this metaphor. ;-)
I’ve talked about feedback and riding bicycles and such before, but this is a much better way of explaining what the exact problem is.
In fact, on a related note (no pun intended), the specific problem people usually have is that their “pitch” is off - they can’t “hear” when their thinking is going astray, and so don’t even know there’s anything to correct in the first place… a bit like the really bad singers on American Idol, who think that if they just sing the same way some more, or the same way but louder, it’s going to make a difference.
The most important piece of learning to mindhack without assistance is being able to listen to your own thinking and “hear” what “key” it’s in, or perhaps what “instrument” you’re playing your current thought with at that moment. If you can’t do that basic bit of metacognition, you won’t know whether you’re actually doing RMI or just confabulating at any given moment, and your ability to apply any specific questioning technique will be sporadic at best.
Think of it like learning to play an instrument. Sure, you can describe good technique in writing, but it’s hard to correct someone’s technique in writing. Odds are the next part of the book they’re going to read won’t have the piece of information that would prove most useful in improving their technique. That’s why people take music lessons.
This. Exactly this. Awesomely this. I am totally going to steal this metaphor. ;-)
I’ve talked about feedback and riding bicycles and such before, but this is a much better way of explaining what the exact problem is.
In fact, on a related note (no pun intended), the specific problem people usually have is that their “pitch” is off - they can’t “hear” when their thinking is going astray, and so don’t even know there’s anything to correct in the first place… a bit like the really bad singers on American Idol, who think that if they just sing the same way some more, or the same way but louder, it’s going to make a difference.
The most important piece of learning to mindhack without assistance is being able to listen to your own thinking and “hear” what “key” it’s in, or perhaps what “instrument” you’re playing your current thought with at that moment. If you can’t do that basic bit of metacognition, you won’t know whether you’re actually doing RMI or just confabulating at any given moment, and your ability to apply any specific questioning technique will be sporadic at best.