PRAGMA

by Sebastian Marshall

There is a lot of easy, casual, pleasant, leisurely reading in the world. There’s none of it in PRAGMA. In Section I, DANGER FLAGS, you learn a concept that is simple but critically before a person does something bad, there’s often predictable signs that they were going to do it. Observe and learn from historical cases of bad things happening from as far back as the Punic Wars and the assassination of Julius Caesar, to as recent as three Cold War episodes. The end goal is to be able to spot people who are likely to do bad things, and to mitigate against those — and likewise, to spot dangerous elements in one’s own character and work to improve those, to be more trustworthy and reliable. In Section II, LIMIT BREAKS, study and analyze what the limits are that hold us back from making a terrific life. Ask, how do we break through those limits? Learn the elements of time on large and short scales, action, automation, project success rates, bottlenecks and constraints, perception, combinations, success and failure, and getting right to the heart of an issue. Limit Breaks contains a lot of immediately practical items that can be put into action right away for higher effectiveness. Finally, in Section III, LINGUA FRANCA, drill deep into the nature of thought and communication. Cultivate a healthy skepticism of words and look to trace the underlying meaning of them. Many words have changed meanings, many important concepts don’t have words associated with them, and language has been a chief battleground across history for shaping how people think, communicate, and act. Sort your language out, in order to be able to think more clearly and lucidly. Pragma contains hard and dark truths, explorations about some of the hardest topics on the planet — and the ones most dangerous to us if neglected. There’s certainly easier and more casual reading in the world… but perhaps very little reading as practical and profitable to the reader. If you want to immerse in hard practical lessons, if you want to become a stronger and more clear thinker, if you want to embrace the difficult truths in the world, if you want to be more pragmatic across all your affairs — this is the book for you.

476 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2017

Reviews

[AuspiciousAnomaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very insightful and intellectually stimulating read. It explains history through a philosophical lens, and with great analysis that makes the subject fascinating and highly relevant to many facets of modern life. The writing is marked by both grit and tact, and the author cites prominent figures who almost anyone would benefit from researching.

Danger Flags is something I wish I’d had access to during my young adult phase. It’s a masterclass in discernment—teaching you to choose your company wisely, who to keep at a distance, and how to avoid becoming a "danger flag" yourself. While experience (conative knowledge) is a great teacher, not everyone wants to learn the hard way through constant trial and error; this section provides the reader with cognitive knowledge for preventative measures. Notably, "Any attribute we dislike in others, we must work ten times as hard to scrub out of ourselves."

Limit Breaks - How does one break their limit to get to the next level in life? Study your weak points, be strategic about "cutting" - drive at what matters, don't worry about looking good - looking good < being right, optimize and master your skillset. The author goes into depth on these subjects and they're extremely beneficial.

As an occasional gamer, I also appreciated how the author highlights the benefits of competitive games and MTG. In e-sports—especially RTS games like StarCraft or MOBAs like League of Legends—players have to make split-second decisions, collaborate under pressure, and think ten steps ahead. Every decision, misstep, win/loss in the early phase of a game will add up, and make all the difference late game. Similarly, in Magic, it's not just about which decision you make, but also when and how you're doing it. These games also build focus, discipline, and resilience that are quite valuable in the tech industry. In fact, discussing League in an interview actually helped me land my first job in IT. I've also played some Magic here and there, and that section makes me want to pick up a deck again.

Finally, if you ever grew up attending a classical or private school and enjoyed studying Latin, Greek, rhetoric, and philosophy, you’ll love the Lingua Franca section. The author also does a great job breaking down the root meanings of words and how they have shifted in significance and nuance over time. The portion on ethics and morals was equally compelling; it really forces you to contemplate ethically and/or morally ambiguous situations and consider how to navigate them more effectively.