My recent talk "Self-Skepticism" at Skepticon 4 in Missouri. I discuss what led me to become skeptical of my decisions and beliefs, as well as what studies say about the reliability of our self-knowledge.
Click here for the talk slides.
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Welcome!
Thanks for coming to my site! I'm Spencer, a mathematician and entrepreneur. This is where I record my thoughts about decision making, rationality, education, philosophy, science, and other subjects that I enjoy thinking about. I especially love exploring topics like "How can we modify our expectations to be happier?", "Why do smart, knowledgable people disagree so often?", and "How can we become more rational decision makers?" This site now has 50 of my essays. I hope you enjoy them!
Articles
Where My Perfect Reasoning Utterly Failed
Does warm water sometimes freeze faster than cold water when placed in the same conditions? "Absolut...
Convincing Your Future Self
You have control over yourself for the next eight seconds. Maybe even the next three minutes. Right ...
Making Really Hard Decisions
Suppose that you have to make a decision that will significantly alter the course of your life. For instance, imagine that you are trying to: decide whether to marry your boyfriend or girlfriend choose between two job offers in different fields decide ...
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The Seven Causes of Disagreement
There are an incredible range of subjects that people disagree about, but only a small number of core reasons that people disagree. When we encounter complex and difficult to resolve disputes, it can be helpful to break them down in terms of these reasons. Thi...
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Adapting Your Expectations for Friendship
One of the most powerful methods for changing how well you get along with others is to learn to adapt your expectations to how people are likely to behave. In fact, this simple trick is so powerful that it makes it possible for you to have satisfying and mutua...
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