How to Think for Yourself

I like what Paul Graham writes here and how he frames this topic.

Can you make yourself more independent-minded? I think so. This quality may be largely inborn, but there seem to be ways to magnify it, or at least not to suppress it.

He goes through some depth on using your environment and the people that you engage with as a way to make sure that you have independent thoughts around you. This particularly resonates with the "filter bubble" concept that seems so pervasive in social media and even now our ability to choose whatever media aligns with our own beliefs.

More generally your goal should be not to let anything into your head unexamined, and things don't always enter your head in the form of statements. Some of the most powerful influences are implicit. How do you even notice these? By standing back and watching how other people get their ideas.

This article will likely make you think. 🧠