Hanlon’s razor is the adage that you should “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”. This 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, if you don’t …
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”