Net positive is a philosophy that is based on trying to maintain a positive balance in your life, by doing more good than you do harm and by contributing more than you take. For example, when it comes to your friendships, the net positive approach means that you should try to help your friends …
The burden of proof (“onus probandi” in Latin) is the obligation to provide sufficient supporting evidence for claims that one makes. For example, if a politician claims that a new policy will lead to a number of positive outcomes, then the politician has a burden of proof with regard to this claim, meaning that …
Read moreThe Burden of Proof: Why People Should Support Their Claims
Sturgeon’s law is the adage that “ninety percent of everything is crap”. This suggests that, in general, the vast majority of the works that are produced in any given field are likely to be of low quality. For example, when it comes to books, Sturgeon’s law suggests that 90% of the books that come …
Read moreSturgeon’s Law: Ninety Percent of Everything Is Crap
Hanlon’s razor is the adage that you should “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”. Applied broadly, this principle suggests that when assessing people’s actions, you should not assume that they acted out of a desire to cause harm, as long as there is a reasonable alternative explanation. For example, …
Read moreHanlon’s Razor: Why You Shouldn’t Start By Assuming the Worst
The principle of charity is a philosophical principle that denotes that, when interpreting someone’s statement, you should assume that the best possible interpretation of that statement is the one that the speaker meant to convey. Accordingly, to implement the principle of charity, you should not attribute falsehoods, logical fallacies, or irrationality to people’s argument, …
Read moreThe Principle of Charity: Assume the Best Interpretation of People’s Arguments
Niccolò Machiavelli was an eminent philosopher and diplomat in the Florentine Republic, between the late 1400s and the early 1500s. His renowned writing on strategy and politics led to the creation of the term Machiavellianism, which refers to the use of cunning and duplicity in statecraft and in general conduct, and he is sometimes …
Read moreQuotes and Lessons about Strategy from Machiavelli’s “The Prince”
Marcus Aurelius was an eminent Roman emperor and one of the most influential writers on the topic of Stoicism, which is a philosophy that revolves around seeking virtue in life, without letting yourself be ruled by negative emotions. Aurelius’ writing on Stoicism is best represented in Meditations, a book which is frequently mentioned as one …
Read moreLessons in Stoicism from Marcus Aurelius’s “Meditations”