English philosopher Francis Bacon articulated the concept of confirmation bias before the term even existed. He said, The human understanding, when it has once adopted an opinion, draws all things … to support and agree with it. The saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is one of the oldest idioms in the … Read more
As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. Henry David Thoreau. I’ll admit it. I used to be quite judgmental about other people’s habits, even when they didn’t concern me one bit. For instance, I inwardly rolled … Read more
Are greener pastures worth chasing or just an optical illusion? A 2009 article in the NY Times described how Mr. Laermer, a quintessential New Yorker, fell in love with La Quinta, a California desert town, during his work trips. So much so that he bought a vacation home there, and over time, made it his … Read more
Intellectual curiosity: the official excuse for going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole at 2 a.m. – Unknown The NY city school system had an established process to identify “bright” 10 – 12-year-old children in schools and place them in rapid advancement classes that would enable pupils to complete three years of schoolwork in two and … Read more