A modest proposalA modest proposal
People are blind to their own motivations if they don't work hard to discover them, and mostly even when they do.
The science behind this is overwhelming, perhaps illustrated best by split-brain patients confabulating their reasons for doing things [1]. (This video gives a more visceral demonstration, but only watch it if you're ready to be disturbed.)
Most people aren't brain damaged (insert joke here), but thinking of myself wrt podcasts, which I ostensibly listen to for information: digging into it and not allowing myself to lie, it's clear that most of my podcast-listening is motivated by self-soothing or other emotional regulation needs.
For instance, despite my periodic resolutions to the contrary, I listen to a stupid number of btc podcasts in order to be confirmed in the rightness of my own conclusions about btc; and to receive the Good News that btc will skyrocket in purchasing power. This makes me feel very smart, which I enjoy; and also gives me leave to imagine the cool things I'll be able to do when I'm rich, which I also enjoy [2].
At this point in my btc journey, it's quite rare for me to encounter a new idea or new way of thinking from one of these btc podcasts [3], which means that, according to my stated motivations, this is all wasted time. But of course my real motivations are not often my stated motivations. (The rest of my podcast diet appears more closely aligned to my stated motivations, but I'm probably lying to myself about these, too, although to a smaller degree.)
Anyway, this is a simple and harmless example, but the underlying point isn't harmless: it's hard to know why you're doing what you're doing, and you shouldn't have much faith in your default opinion on the matter.
NotesNotes
[1] Gazzaniga, M. S. (2000). Cerebral specialization and interhemispheric communication: does the corpus callosum enable the human condition?. Brain, 123(7), 1293-1326.
[2] This isn't to say that my conclusions about btc are delusional -- I've spent so many hours wrestling with it that I have faith in my opinions. But that doesn't change my bullshit motivations for listening to the podcasts.
[3] Here's a fun exception.
We should all require more evidence for convenient opinions than inconvenient ones. I try to live this way, and probably fail more than I know, but when I succeed it must make me seem like an uncertain bitch.
I think a lot of bitcoiners make this mistake with stablecoins. They're succeeding now, but certainly they must fail because they are more of the same. They could fail, and I hope they do, but there's very little sensitivity to KYC/AML among the bitcoiners predicting stablecoins will fail, let alone everyone else. So long as stablecoins don't make all of the mistakes that banks made, it's possible that bitcoin never competes as a white market MoE.
Americans make a related mistake wrt to China becoming the dominant world power. Most trends show they'll overtake us, but certainly they must fail because they aren't free like we are.
By now everyone has heard the term deliberate practice, but it's easy to forget the heart of the idea is that it's uncomfortable. You're not out there dicking around at stuff you're great at and having fun, you're mindfully working on weaknesses, trying to find the frontier of your abilities.
There's something about that attitude that's telling. If your media diet is like slipping into a warm bath, that's a warning. It doesn't matter if it's a warm bath of outrage, if it's that familiar vibe that already holds your shape, beware.
At least, beware if your goal is to understand anything complex.
I had a therapist recommend doing something like this for my fiction diet. That relates somehow, but I'm struggling to describe it.
Huh -- I'd be interested to hear how the topic projected into a therapeutic session, if you'd care to share.
It was a long time ago, but along the lines of changing one's mood/mind/habits, gently going from one warm bath and into another.
I don't recall it being very targeted and might've been default advice that they give.
The day or two before I have a dental exam, I'm always in a bad mood. I try to interrogate myself to see if I'm feeling anxiety about the exam or the outcome, and usually, I don't feel anxious. Yet, like clockwork, I am in a much better mood the day after the exam (much closer to normal). The conclusion in draw from this is that I rarely actually know the source of my feelings.
It may be more than just pur motivations that are difficult to see with clarity. I strongly agree with your proposal.
I agree with your statement and I'll make a point: it's very common to consume information and content that aligns with your beliefs, so you get this feeling that you already have these ideas in your mind and they're very well-founded because you've already filtered the sources by the presenter, appearance, title, introduction, and everything else. I've been trying to avoid this trap, and this year I've become much more selective with the content I consume. Reading from sources whose ideas don't seem to align with mine helps strengthen my convictions.
I consume what is very specific to my way of thinking, and I'm always adding new things; when I'm no longer learning anything, I abandon it and consume it just for entertainment.
Does it ever change your convictions?
Agree (for the most part).
The part that doesn't agree is probably that same mental mode whence my tireless attempts to articulate my motivations often spring. Then i wonder if it is worth it to do so, and i ususlly conclude it is, especially in writing.
Then i oscillate back into self-doubting.
I ditched pretty much all of my libertarian podcasts recently, largely for this reason.
Wait, so what's the proposal?
Wouldn't that be a claim / hypothesis / assertion?
Those are comparable terms, yes.
well, in any case, proposal accepted!
This is, in fact, one of the trickiest things when dealing with peoples' personal issues. They often don't know their own motivations, and what they claim to be their motivations often aren't.
Well, self-soothing and other emotional regulation needs are important to fulfill as well. They provide the fuel and drive for us to stay motivated on our path.
I feel that I am typically self-aware of my motivations, be it intrinsic or extrinsic. What I find trouble with is staying true to myself. As in, I feel the pressure from my workplace as my bosses might want me to be motivated in certain ways - but my heart wants me to focus on other things instead. This discrepancy exhausts me
We would like to believe we are guided by logic and evidence but most of the time our minds are working backward. We start with the conclusion we like and then retrofit whatever justifications will allow us to keep liking it. The idea that our stated motivations are often just a cover story for something more emotional or self-serving is not just a quirk of podcasts or bitcoin enthusiasm. It is an operating principle of the human brain.
The split-brain research you reference is a sharp reminder that confabulation is not rare. It is the default mode. Even in healthy brains the interpreter in the left hemisphere is constantly trying to construct a coherent narrative even when the real cause for our actions is elsewhere. Once you accept this it becomes harder to take your own reasoning at face value. Every stance you take should be tested against the possibility that you hold it because it makes you feel good instead of because it is correct.