Useful not True

Summary

Truth means objective truth. True for everybody, everywhere, forever. There are not many things that fit this category. Instead we should focus on what is useful to us. And judge ideas based on their merit, not their "truth".

The idea is that you shouldn't be attached to your own thoughts and beliefs, freeing you to change them to something that suits you better and then searching for those ideas instead. In order to do that you need to be accepting and open to new ideas in general. Trying them on like new clothes to see what fits, discarding them once they become worn or you have outgrown them.

The content of the ideas/beliefs/meanings is less important than the actions and behaviors they make you do. Be like an orchestra conductor, where your life philosophies and guiding ideas are the instruments. Pick and choose, maybe invent new instruments to make the most beautiful symphony possible. The truth is not important, it's a tool to get something you'd like. What is it that you want and why? How does figuring out the truth help you there? Can you skip a step?

Beliefs can't be true, because they change. Across cultures, across time. Science isn't true either, it changes even more often and only ever approximates truth. Instincts are useful but should be balanced by wisdom.

I read this book a lot because it has so many interesting facets to it, that every time I read it again, there is something new to discover and it is not a long book at all so you can easily read it over and over again. Maybe this is Derek Sivers best writing, but then there is also How to Live and this to me is even better though the two books are definitely related and build on each others ideas. Some of the same arguments and strands of thoughts that run through How to Live can be found again here, in Useful not True and looking at Derek Sivers life, the philosophy outlined in both of these books seemed to have worked well. It seems useful... not true.

Detailed Notes

The idea of a metaphorical time zone - ideas have context, and multiple ideas can be true from different vantage points, truth can be subjective => therefore NOT true. What many people take as truth, is just their perspectives. Just like time is arbitrary because of the position on the globe, truth is arbitrary because of the position in global context.

Any statement is a biased POV. It is not the truth usually.

Facts are boring, people bond over opinions. Social status and value signaling is a core part of communication.

Changing the game is part of the fun.

Breaking rules can be the correct thing to do. Often, rules are arbitrary. That doesn't mean that some rules aren't useful, but judgement is necessary.

The world is as negotiable as a flea market in Marrakesch. Only a fool doesn't haggle.

Social reality and manners are shifting constructs. Going to novel cultures teaches you that. Story of the salt.

People have reasons for their beliefs. Understanding those reasons helps understand the beliefs and the people who hold them.

Brains rationalize after the fact. The decision is made, before we have reasoning for it. But then we believe the reasoning led to the decision. Which is wrong.

Actions > Reasons

Memories feel like facts, but they're not. People don't doubt their memory, but you should.

Thinking in probabilities helps counteract our tendency to make every belief a certainty. It's stopping enough to notice doubts or edge cases. Even science is not fully true.

Every conclusion is an invitation to improve it.

The most accurate theory is not always the most useful. And a rule of thumb can be far from true, but good enough to get you where you need to go.

This reminds me of David Deutschs ideas of how science works and how it helps to produce a picture of reality that just works. If it wouldn't we can discard it and come up with a different explanation.

Our opinions are wrong if we see that they conflict with other people's opinions. There are two conflicting viewpoints => neither of them can be 100% true, because of the existence of the other. Seeing yourself from the other side of the river is a powerful analogy here. You are the weird one out, in the wrong, as much as the others are.

You remember things incomplete and incorrectly. Your mind makes certainty out of vagueness. And edits your memories to fit a certain narrative of yourself. Re-edit for usefulness?

Beliefs have purpose. They help us live our lives. But we shouldn't confuse beliefs with truths.

We identify with some of our beliefs, get tangled up in them and then have a hard time changing them. Even if there is other more useful versions.

Instincts are fast, and often in the way, wisdom can correct them. This is analog to System 1 / System 2 thinking of Kahnemanns.

I fill my senses with reality: wind blowing, waves crashing, plants and animals doing their thing. This place was about the same a million years ago and a million years from now, when people are gone.

Thoughts have directional bias, like bowling balls turning to one direction. We need to counteract this bias. Like a pilot caught in a crosswind, we need to be crabbing. This is a reference to the Optimist Playbook Video.

Have beliefs that are purposefully wrong, leaning into the opposite direction of what comes natural, to counteract these tendencies.

Blaming others too much => everything is my fault Underestimate time needed => double all estimate Assuming you are right => assuming you know nothing and listening intently, learning a lot from anybody

Ideas and beliefs are tools. Choose them for the desired effect.

Beliefs => actions. Which actions do you want leads to which beliefs you should have.

Religion != Beliefs Many religions have beliefs, but they also have actions, practice, the "way". This part is the important and useful part of religions.

Beliefs exist to guide your actions.

Tools help us do the work. Don't let tool choice turn into a mechanism of in-action.

Interesting idea: tools can be invented and improved by us. If you have this freedom of choice in tools, what tools do you need and how could you create them?

Ideas can be isolated from their origin, somebody who usually says non-useful/bad stuff can still sometimes say very useful things. Don't discard ideas just because of where they come from.

see others points > make others see yours? consider other perspectives > think you're right? yourself stronger > life easier? => ideally both benefit others > benefit yourself?

Answers to these depends on who you are and want to be.

Magic mirror that shows you proof into what you need to believe right now to benefit you most. Turns out, magic mirror exists, it's the default version of our brain, we have a new belief, then convince ourselves and rationalize afterwards. The only difference is choosing new beliefs because of usefulness instead of arbitrarily.

Meaning is in your mind. But the effects are real.

Blank, no answer, mu, __ is valid. What is the meaning of anything? There is no inherent meaning to... Life, traveling, whatever you do.

Meanings can make your life better, but you need to chose those that work for you. Just like with beliefs.

You'll ignore a mountain of evidence if you hear one good story against it or just feel yourself leaning the other way. Most emotions can't be persuaded.

Why do you want the truth? What do you plan to do with it? What's the real outcome?

Every philosophy is an instrument.

You are the orchestra conductor. Use philosophies whenever appropriate. Combine them, use none at all. Whatever makes the most beautiful music of life.

Find out what's great about the problems you have. Everything has something going for it, go find it. The diamond in the trash. This is the power of reframing, making bad situations (where bad is a meaning projected by the mind) much more bearable. This is also a stoic thought exercise. Imagining the worst and then seeing the good in it. The things that you still have, the challenge, the whatever.

Useful perspectives for Derek Sievers have shared characteristics:

Direct, energizing, self-reliant, balance, selfless, selfish, lucid and lasting, test first, healthy, long-term, compensating for bias and prejudice.

Figure out what you want, then find the most direct way there. Half ass everything with all you've got.

Fear is a form of excitement.

Switching from sad to happy is always an option, even at the worst times in life.

You have to choose. Not choosing leads to nothing. There is a trade-off between exploring different choices and committing to one choice only. At some point you need to switch modes.

No New Instructions for the Computer => there's a point where you have enough information to get started and do stuff. Most people miss that point and keep searching for more and more and more information, never getting anywhere.

Journal about choice => strengthen, clarify, plan, picture, prepare for setbacks. Then talk to friends about it to refine and solidify the idea.

Choices are only for you, and only for now. They get you going in a direction. Like the WaitButWhy career arrow.

Once your choice is clear, take the first step immediately (unless action is destructive/harmful to others). This tests your belief in reality and builds momentum.

Pretending to be who you want to be actually works over the long run.

Heaven is the original reframing of death. Every culture has it to deal with the absurdity and sadness of losing something loved forever.