Scott Alexander

“Think rhinoceros and act rhinoceros! There is no other way. Positive thinking will get you nothing, unless you combine it with charging. Writing out your goals is useless, unless you charge them down. Talking is only an oral exercise, unless you act on what you say. Dreams are only dreams, unless you become a rhinoceros and charge at them!”
― Scott Alexander, Rhinocenos Success

“At some point in their education, most smart people usually learn not to credit arguments from authority. If someone says “Believe me about the minimum wage because I seem like a trustworthy guy,” most of them will have at least one neuron in their head that says “I should ask for some evidence”. If they’re really smart, they’ll use the magic words “peer-reviewed experimental studies.” But I worry that most smart people have not learned that a list of dozens of studies, several meta-analyses, hundreds of experts, and expert surveys showing almost all academics support your thesis– can still be bullshit.”
― Scott Alexander