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A review by treyhunner
The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't by Julia Galef
5.0
This was a great book and I'd like everyone to read it. The discussion about soldier vs scout mindset is a framing of the world that will stick with me. I need to re-read the various sections on strategies for adopting a more truth-oriented life, as those ideas I'll need to do work to internalize.
The discussion near the end of the book on identity really resonated with me.
Holding an identity (athlete, Democrat, feminist, etc.) is neither bad nor good. Identity can make hard things rewarding (e.g. "I'm the kind of person who keeps promises"). But when making decisions related to our identity we often find ourselves at a crossroad, choosing between an identity-affirming and a more impactful (but non-affirming) action.
A quote that stuck out to me: "You can make the effort to think honestly no matter what community you're embedded in, but your friends, coworkers, and audience can either provide a headwind or a tailwind for your efforts." Julia then goes onto note that this tailwind is why she joined the effective altruism movement.
This type of thinking is very important to me and I suspect I'll be re-reading this book (which is something I do rarely) within the next few years.
If you'd prefer not to read the whole book, I'd recommend any of these interviews about it (I finally read the book because I kept hearing interviews with Julia in various podcasts):
If you want a sample before you read the whole thing, Julia gave a TED talk on this topic years ago and she's done some interviews recently about her book (Clearer Thinking, Vox Conversations, EconTalk, The Weeds).
The discussion near the end of the book on identity really resonated with me.
Holding an identity (athlete, Democrat, feminist, etc.) is neither bad nor good. Identity can make hard things rewarding (e.g. "I'm the kind of person who keeps promises"). But when making decisions related to our identity we often find ourselves at a crossroad, choosing between an identity-affirming and a more impactful (but non-affirming) action.
A quote that stuck out to me: "You can make the effort to think honestly no matter what community you're embedded in, but your friends, coworkers, and audience can either provide a headwind or a tailwind for your efforts." Julia then goes onto note that this tailwind is why she joined the effective altruism movement.
This type of thinking is very important to me and I suspect I'll be re-reading this book (which is something I do rarely) within the next few years.
If you'd prefer not to read the whole book, I'd recommend any of these interviews about it (I finally read the book because I kept hearing interviews with Julia in various podcasts):
If you want a sample before you read the whole thing, Julia gave a TED talk on this topic years ago and she's done some interviews recently about her book (Clearer Thinking, Vox Conversations, EconTalk, The Weeds).