Julia GalefCritiques

One of the few books that I believe is fundamental for everyone to read. It's good to know how we function psychologically, but research rarely tells us how to make practical use of it. Julia Galef's book is one of those that fills the gap. There are ways of viewing the world, from the unyielding zealot to the delusional "my reality," but rarely engaging with reality as it is. Making the best decisions and having the clearest perceptions requires a certain mindset that doesn't just come naturally to us, so it must be cultivated. The Scout Mindset gives its readers overarching tools and approaches to clearer thinking.

Maybe the scout vs soldier metaphor is a bit strained, but there are a lot of good ideas here.

Mixed thoughts about this book. I really liked the central idea, about some people having more of a “scout” mindset with others having more of a “soldier” mindset, and a lot of the elaborations made sense to me as well. But I wish the book had dug a little “deeper” into various psychological, social, political, historical, evolutionary, and philosophical issues. The book seemed a little “thin” and also a bit simplistic and repetitive. I hope Galef or someone else comes up with a deeper, more thoughtful treatment of these important ideas. That said, I really identify with the “scout” concept and it was nice to have that recognized as valuable.

Despite being a little self-helpy, decent suggestions for seeing the world more clearly. Perhaps the best advise was to be constantly revising one's position as new data arrives. Cheerfully admit being wrong when you accept a new argument -- you're updating your position rather than rejecting it. I also liked the asides casting doubt on the positive thinking / visualization "research".

Persuasive and practical.

Explains psychological concepts (e.g. cognitive biases, emotional-social needs) in a layman way + presents 4 sets of principles/tools to see things in a more open and objective way: to develop personal awareness, minimize self-deception, embrace change and new ideas, and rethink your identity.

Most of the ideas in this book aren't new. But Galef presents cognitive biases in a clear, less technical way than several other books about psychology or critical thinking. Instead of advocating the scout mindset and condeming the soldier mindset, she acknowledges the need for the soldier mindset and how to balance things out with the scout mindset. And more importantly, she gives some tangible points on how to start improving the way you think.

What it covers:
• The differences between the Soldier Mindset vs the Scout Mindset, why we default to the soldier mindset and why it hurts us in the long term; and
• 4 key attitudes and toolsets to see the world with more openness, curiosity and accuracy. Specifically, you’ll find out how to develop personal awareness, thrive without self-deception, change your mind more flexibly, and rethink your identity.

Book summary at: https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-the-scout-mindset/

Julia advises that we spend more time thinking like a scout ... trying to understand and observe .... rather than a solider, hunkering down and fighting opposing viewpoints. This feels particularly poignant in roughly month 18 of Covid.

I've struggled a lot with too much scout mindset (paralysis by analysis). I wish there would have been more discussion on when to switch to solider mindset.

This was a pretty good book on thinking and the perils of the soldier mindset (motivated reasoning). I have a Jungian view of things and perhaps I would like to have seen some discussion of intuition where the solution appears in some alternate way and needs to validated by rational though and/or evidence. There is also styles of attack on problems: bottom up evidence and/or top down analysis. There is also crowdsourcing where reality is stitched to gather by many people. Another way is by proposing a theses, then develop and antithesis and come up with a resolution of the dichotomies. A problem with my own industry was scheduling bus trips for a new service diagram where each of the 1000 trips may need a fast decision.

Julia Galef is my new hero.

Galef defines 'scout mindset' as having clear thinking as your mission, to take a true map of the terrain. This is contrasted with 'soldier' mindset, which sees itself always in combat, and thus views the surroundings primarily in terms of what needs defending, etc. It's not a perfect dichotomy, but you get the idea. Strive always to see the truth, even when unpleasant or bad for your side. A scout needs to report back with the real situation on the ground, even when the commanding officers might not like what they hear.

To be honest, the first four out of five sections may have had me leaving only a three or four star rating. Parts about overcoming bias seemed to be geared towards scientists and social scientists. Parts about about living without illusions seemed more for entrepreneurs. It all stated truths, but presented nothing earth-shattering.

The final section is where it really took off: Rethinking Identity. A chapter ensues about how beliefs become identities; and the next chapter presents my favorite takeaway: hold your identity lightly. My ex-therapist would have loved this. He always discouraged rigid thinking along the lines of "I am [this type of] person." One should, instead of thinking, "I am a feminist," think instead "I am someone who often sympathizes with feminist causes." Not, "I am a vegan," but "I am one who currently adheres most of the time to a vegan diet." Or whatever. You find that this subtle shift has you becoming less defensive, more liable to seek truth in others' arguments rather than digging in to a perceived threat. And if you must have an identity - try on 'scout' as an identity. "I am a scout." A scout wouldn't dismiss an argument out of hand without first giving it a fair hearing.

Some fun parts that I bookmarked:

"The Outsider Test." When faced with a tough decision, try to avoid the sunk-cost fallacy by imagining someone else has just stepped into your shoes. What would she likely think of the situation? Try imagining that YOU have teleported from the outside into your own life, and wonder, what would you tell you to do? What I liked was her "It's as if you're hanging a sign around your neck: 'Under New Management.'" I love the image. Also, this is why I love reading advice columns. It's so easy to see the solution to other people's problems. I try to imagine being an advice columnist answering myself; would the answer be crystal clear?

On holding your identity lightly: I have a friend who shall remain nameless who gets angry whenever I try to be a moderating influence, a la "let's just TRY to consider where the 'other side' is coming from on this..." He'll call it "coddling." Coddling racists, coddling evil people, whatever. Galef: "It's not a favor you do for other people, for the sake of being nice or civil. Holding your identity lightly is a favor to yourself - a way to keep your mind flexible, unconstrained by identity, and free to follow the evidence wherever it leads."

Finally, choosing your role models. I'll tell you my role model easily: Tyler Cowen. Tyler is interested in everything, and disinterested about everything (in the original correct sense of the word). Tyler doesn't take sides. Tyler is on the side of whatever improves humanity's health and happiness, and he is, as far as I have been able to tell after many years of him being my homepage, genuinely interested in seeking out what that side actually is. He will praise or censure whoever deserves it, and does not hew to any party line. If the data seems to show that universal Pre-K, for example, is beneficial for kids in the medium to long-term, he's for it; and if it starts to show actually the opposite is true, then he's against it. He doesn't come in with a pre-set belief. He really, truly wants to know the truth. And he takes interest in everything. When something just plain doesn't interest him, he takes interest in finding out why. He follows sports and popular and unpopular arts and culture. When he doesn't like something aesthetically, he asks himself why, and why other people might like it; what is the art trying to convey, on its own terms? He travels extensively, and he travels for the purpose of learning. You get the idea. I love Tyler.

And I love Julia! I'm going to listen to more of her podcasts.

This book is especially relevant and necessary right now. Popular opinion is polarized. Advocates for any range of causes cite their research and bases of beliefs, all in the name of defending their side. The more thoughtful middle tries to explore both sides, often without knowing how. The Scout Mindset shows how to gain a fact-based understanding by intentionally using different strategies compared to the soldier mindset. It's rare that I borrow a book from the library and find so much value that I buy a copy to keep on hand. This was one such book.

NF