Comments on: The Predictable Irrationality of Life http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/ Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:33:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Remove Spyware http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4099 Remove Spyware Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:12:39 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4099 Enjoy reading your post! Keep going! Enjoy reading your post! Keep going!

]]> By: Daniel Richard | Winning Everyone http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4094 Daniel Richard | Winning Everyone Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:07:36 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4094 My take on decision in regards to the "5-dollars-per-cup-of-coffee" part is that by having a store in a place where it is built and has already been serving a huge crowd before having a new coffee joint put in place, unknowingly teaches us (as the audience) that it is normal and fine to pay 5 dollars for that cup of coffee, rather than going all the way to another place to pay for something that costs 5 times lesser. The store being there already solved one of our thinking process by eliminating the inconvenience factor and helped us speed up our decision process making, biased towards the "it is ok to buy here" mentality that the store has just by having a prime location. My take on decision in regards to the “5-dollars-per-cup-of-coffee” part is that by having a store in a place where it is built and has already been serving a huge crowd before having a new coffee joint put in place, unknowingly teaches us (as the audience) that it is normal and fine to pay 5 dollars for that cup of coffee, rather than going all the way to another place to pay for something that costs 5 times lesser.

The store being there already solved one of our thinking process by eliminating the inconvenience factor and helped us speed up our decision process making, biased towards the “it is ok to buy here” mentality that the store has just by having a prime location.

]]> By: The Financial Philosopher http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4097 The Financial Philosopher Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:14:09 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4097 The fact that humans seek the rewards of the material world goes back to primitive man. Our brains are wired for simple, survival-oriented behavior. Our primitive brain, also known as the "rat brain," seeks patterns or short-cuts to these rewards, much like a rat learning the shortest route to a block of cheese. The primary problem with us humans is that we choose the wrong "rewards," which are only short-term and come from external sources. Once the reward is obtained, we begin the search for the next reward... The material world likes to promote its offerings, such as the mass-media promotes the idea that we should have bigger homes, bigger cars and more "stuff" to make our lives better. If we can find shortcuts (i.e. hacks), then that is the preferred route, as opposed to the longer and more rewarding route to self-awareness. Fortunately, as known by philosophers for centuries and recently proven by neuroscience studies, humans have the ability to change the make-up of the brain and form better habits while minimizing or reducing bad ones. We can "train" ourselves to think differently by "thinking about thinking," much the way that Buddhist Monks can train their brains to think a certain way. This self-awareness brings happiness or well-being from internal sources, as it should be, as opposed to external sources, as our rat brain and material world friends would have it... The fact that humans seek the rewards of the material world goes back to primitive man. Our brains are wired for simple, survival-oriented behavior. Our primitive brain, also known as the “rat brain,” seeks patterns or short-cuts to these rewards, much like a rat learning the shortest route to a block of cheese. The primary problem with us humans is that we choose the wrong “rewards,” which are only short-term and come from external sources. Once the reward is obtained, we begin the search for the next reward…

The material world likes to promote its offerings, such as the mass-media promotes the idea that we should have bigger homes, bigger cars and more “stuff” to make our lives better. If we can find shortcuts (i.e. hacks), then that is the preferred route, as opposed to the longer and more rewarding route to self-awareness.

Fortunately, as known by philosophers for centuries and recently proven by neuroscience studies, humans have the ability to change the make-up of the brain and form better habits while minimizing or reducing bad ones. We can “train” ourselves to think differently by “thinking about thinking,” much the way that Buddhist Monks can train their brains to think a certain way. This self-awareness brings happiness or well-being from internal sources, as it should be, as opposed to external sources, as our rat brain and material world friends would have it…

]]> By: @Stephen Productivity in Context http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4098 @Stephen Productivity in Context Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:59:54 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4098 Can of worms, meet the can opener. If you do not mind, I'd like to throw this(http://tinyurl.com/3qpkdp) into the mix. It's my response to a post by Nick Cernis on the Productivity Movement. I will say it again, "Keep it in context." Whatever "it" is for you. Can of worms, meet the can opener.
If you do not mind, I’d like to throw this(http://tinyurl.com/3qpkdp) into the mix. It’s my response to a post by Nick Cernis on the Productivity Movement.

I will say it again, “Keep it in context.” Whatever “it” is for you.

]]> By: Robert http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4092 Robert Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:54:50 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4092 Khurt: If a behavior has a negative consequence, is it still wrong to label it "bad"? What about murder? Or genocide? Should we be only concerned about the things that we want and bring meaning to our lives? What about everyone else in the world? Do they mean nothing? Khurt:

If a behavior has a negative consequence, is it still wrong to label it “bad”? What about murder? Or genocide?

Should we be only concerned about the things that we want and bring meaning to our lives? What about everyone else in the world? Do they mean nothing?

]]> By: Kh http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4093 Kh Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:07:34 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4093 I think it is important not to label behaviors or ways of being or thinking as good or bad. I think it is more constructive to catch how our ways of thinking (from the past) influence how we make choices (in the present). If the choices we make are not consistent with what we want and with brining meaning and power to our lives then ... we can make different ( nor better ) choices. I think it is important not to label behaviors or ways of being or thinking as good or bad. I think it is more constructive to catch how our ways of thinking (from the past) influence how we make choices (in the present). If the choices we make are not consistent with what we want and with brining meaning and power to our lives then … we can make different ( nor better ) choices.

]]> By: Jonathon Howard http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4096 Jonathon Howard Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:03:37 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4096 Dan doesn't say it explicitly in his book but he is implicitly saying that much of our thinking is bad, faulty. He offers at the end of each chapters ways that perhaps we can work around these shortcomings of our thinking. Dan might not know what a lifehack is, but I do and some of his fixes are just that lifehacks. Ways to circumvent our hardwiring in order to be better. The connection to me was clear as day, but then I've been following David, Merlin, and Gina for quite awhile. I didn't actually mean to differentiate between Oprah and her fans. In my mind the two are synonymous. I choose to believe Oprah actually thinks things make people better, if she doesn't then she's really more of a monster. It's the whole teach a man a fish thing, cliche? Of course, but all truisms are. Oprah doesn't do that she talks about feelings and sets up Straw Men for her audience to knock down, everyone feels great but no change has occurred. If any of these things worked why would she be presenting a new one each week/month? They don't her show isn't about empowerment. It is about moving product with a nice gloss of feel-good. For more on this check out Richard Birkenhead at Salon: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/03/05/the_secret/ Dan doesn’t say it explicitly in his book but he is implicitly saying that much of our thinking is bad, faulty. He offers at the end of each chapters ways that perhaps we can work around these shortcomings of our thinking. Dan might not know what a lifehack is, but I do and some of his fixes are just that lifehacks. Ways to circumvent our hardwiring in order to be better. The connection to me was clear as day, but then I’ve been following David, Merlin, and Gina for quite awhile.

I didn’t actually mean to differentiate between Oprah and her fans. In my mind the two are synonymous. I choose to believe Oprah actually thinks things make people better, if she doesn’t then she’s really more of a monster. It’s the whole teach a man a fish thing, cliche? Of course, but all truisms are. Oprah doesn’t do that she talks about feelings and sets up Straw Men for her audience to knock down, everyone feels great but no change has occurred. If any of these things worked why would she be presenting a new one each week/month? They don’t her show isn’t about empowerment. It is about moving product with a nice gloss of feel-good.

For more on this check out Richard Birkenhead at Salon: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/03/05/the_secret/

]]> By: Clay Collins http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4095 Clay Collins Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:22:10 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4095 Jonathan, Overall I really like your analysis (hell, I published it), but I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind clarifying something. You say: <strong> bringing this fact to light, to our the attention of our conscious self allows us to think about our actions and thought processes more fully and in so doing maybe help us highlight the mistakes we make in our economic transactions. <p> Which leads me to the next part of this post, Life Hacks. </strong> I don't fully understand the transition to life hacks. Also, as somewhat of a fan of Oprah, I find it interesting that you say that "productivity hobbyists and the sites that serve them seem to suffer from the same ailment that Oprah Jonathan,

Overall I really like your analysis (hell, I published it), but I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind clarifying something. You say:


bringing this fact to light, to our the attention of our conscious self allows us to think about our actions and thought processes more fully and in so doing maybe help us highlight the mistakes we make in our economic transactions.

Which leads me to the next part of this post, Life Hacks.

I don’t fully understand the transition to life hacks.

Also, as somewhat of a fan of Oprah, I find it interesting that you say that “productivity hobbyists and the sites that serve them seem to suffer from the same ailment that Oprah

]]> By: Clay Collins http://www.clay-collins.com/blog/the-predictable-irrationality-of-life/#comment-4103 Clay Collins Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:22:00 +0000 http://TheGrowingLife.com/?p=274#comment-4103 Jonathan, Overall I really like your analysis (hell, I published it), but I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind clarifying something. You say: <strong> bringing this fact to light, to our the attention of our conscious self allows us to think about our actions and thought processes more fully and in so doing maybe help us highlight the mistakes we make in our economic transactions. Which leads me to the next part of this post, Life Hacks. </strong> I don't fully understand the transition to life hacks. Also, as somewhat of a fan of Oprah, I find it interesting that you say that "productivity hobbyists and the sites that serve them seem to suffer from the same ailment that Oprah Jonathan,

Overall I really like your analysis (hell, I published it), but I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind clarifying something. You say:


bringing this fact to light, to our the attention of our conscious self allows us to think about our actions and thought processes more fully and in so doing maybe help us highlight the mistakes we make in our economic transactions.

Which leads me to the next part of this post, Life Hacks.

I don’t fully understand the transition to life hacks.

Also, as somewhat of a fan of Oprah, I find it interesting that you say that “productivity hobbyists and the sites that serve them seem to suffer from the same ailment that Oprah

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