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Welcome to Cynical Wisdom ~ the no BS self-development guide for aspiring polymaths.
Life-long learners and polymaths intuitively understand the benefits of acquiring new perspectives and knowledge.
For the aspiring polymath, the following is a list of what you will find in this newsletter and how you will benefit.
Polymath Competence Model
I have created an educational framework that helps aspiring polymaths acquire knowledge and skills logically. The curriculum builds core, foundational knowledge enabling you to effectively and efficiently develop and apply knowledge for your benefit. Solid foundational knowledge, improved analysis skills, and sound decision-making produce success!
Facts
Facts are the foundation of knowledge. Facts are the reality of the world. No amount of denial or bluster will change a fact.
An education devoid of science and logic is a recipe for pain and misery (for yourself or inflicted on others).
You need proper inputs (Garbage In, Garbage Out) to make well-founded decisions that produce results for yourself.
One of the scourges of modern society is the disdain for facts and the inability to appreciate how poor decisions undermine happiness, relationships, health, finances, and personal achievements.
You cannot fix something if you don't understand how it works.
Yourself
You are the biggest factor in determining your success.
The degree to which you understand your brainwashing is the degree to which you exercise control of your life.
If you don't think you have been "brainwashed,”1 review the meaning in the footnote and understand what brainwashing is.
Not all brainwashing is bad - educational and moralistic brainwashing can be beneficial.
However, if you are unaware of the brainwashing you have been subjected to, you do not control how it impacts your life. If you do not have the self-awareness to determine the difference between beneficial and detrimental brainwashing, you will be making compromised decisions.
If your life is sh*t, brainwashing has had an outsized impact on you.
The first step to improving your life is to take control of the direct and indirect influences in your life.
Others
You can't accomplish your goals without involving others.
Understanding the rational/irrational motivation and behavior of others is necessary to succeed in the world.
Interactions with family, friends, acquaintances, associates, peers, subordinates, or superiors all require an understanding of human nature and how to work together.
Your emotional and empathic skills impact your prowess in nurturing, communicating, guiding, educating, and motivating others. Ultimately, it determines your prestige in the world.
World
We live in an interconnected, holistic environment.
The digital age has connected us to unlimited information (not necessarily knowledge) and rapid access to each other.
The “Butterfly Effect”2 occurs when beneficial (or toxic) information rapidly permeates social media and the public discourse.
Your appreciation of how the world works impacts your ability to get what you want or avoid being harmed (taken advantage of).
My Approach
The world is not simple.
Simple does not accommodate the complexities of people and modern life. There aren't black-and-white explanations (except for facts) when people are involved. Which is pretty much ALL THE TIME!
Therefore, the technique I use to analyze and explain concepts is a "range."3 When I identify the two extremes of the range, it becomes easy to see the unlimited possibilities between them.
One aspect of a polymath's knowledge can be viewed as positive. Cynical Wisdom is constructive knowledge that provides benefits. It is beneficial knowledge leveraged to construct positive outcomes for yourself or others.
A naive belief is that the world is all rainbows and unicorns.
You will be blindsided if you think that success is derived by only focusing on the positive.
The other aspect of a polymath's knowledge can be viewed as negative. Opposing Stupidity is recognizing the destructive knowledge or behavior that leads to failure. It is the knowledge derived from observing the beliefs, actions, or results that produce detrimental outcomes for others.
Essentially, it is learning from other's mistakes so you know what to avoid.
Between the range of Cynical Wisdom and Opposing Stupidity are nuanced levels of knowledge, decisions, and behavior. You exercise your judgment to pick one of many options. It's a situational compromise based on maximizing the benefits and minimizing the downsides.
The key is to understand, through analysis, that a range exists. Sometimes, one cannot acquire perfect knowledge or the perfect outcome. A polymath will use knowledge and experience to make the best decision.
Therefore, I believe it is important to understand the entire range to have a complete understanding and ensure that you can make well-informed, productive decisions. I will be exposing both wisdom you can use and problems to avoid.
Summary
I've touched on these points at a high level; future essays will explore and explain all those aspects in more detail.
Please subscribe to grow your expertise and oppose stupidity in the world.
Be Cynical,4
TCG
brainwashing - a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas; persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship
Butterfly Effect - a property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system