| 2/08/09 | | The Bullshit Detection Kit |
I discovered this video today which lists 10 questions to help you decide whether a viewpoint, opinion, theory is worth taking on board and believing. Here are the questions that will help you detect bullshit (actually they called it the baloney detector kit but no one says baloney in Australia). Write them down and take them to conferences and see how the speakers fair—ask questions and if you don't really understand what they are saying, pull them up and ask them to say it simply. It's harder to convey your ideas simply than to use jargon. Don't let them baffle you with bullshit.
- How reliable is the source of the claim?
- Does the source make similar claims? (eg. if you are into magic (or evolution), then all your ideas have a magic (or evolution) bent)
- Have the claims been verified by somebody else?
- Does this fit with the way the world works?
- Has anyone tried to disprove the claim?
- Where does the preponderance of evidence point?
- Is the claimant playing by the rules of science
- Is the claimant providing positive evidence? (it's too easy to just bag the other side)
- Does the new theory account for as many phenomena as the old theory?
- Are personal beliefs driving the claim?
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| 18/02/08 | | Looking for the single, correct answer can be dumb |
Thanks to ken (one of our favourite Anecdote blog commentors) for this link of Malcolm Gladwell doing what he does best: telling a story which helps us understand something new—this time it's spaghetti sauce. The story is about Howard Moskowitz and how he transformed our views of retail choice and explains why we have so many varieties of mustard, soft drinks and practically anything else you can buy from the supermarket. But more importantly we learn that looking for the single correct answer might not be the best solution.
I won't spoil the story but watch out for how Gladwell introduces his character and how story comes before reason or interpretation. And see how he creates mystery from the outset and gradually reveals the culprit.
Gladwell's essay covering the same topic is here.
| 12/02/08 | | Questions |
I've created a new blog category today called "questions." I'm planning to use it to capture some of the excellent story eliciting questions I come across in our work and reading. So to kick things off here is a question from Christina Baldwin:
"Can you keep a confidence? Describe a story about confidentiality. What is important to you about confidentiality?"
We would love to hear your story. Just post it in the comments.
Baldwin, Christina. Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story. Novato, California: New World Library, 2005.