Effective problem solving and the evil problem solving

 Human beings invent a lot of things to be happier. Some work, some less. Still others are downright bad ideas.

Also, when we run into problems, we have to work hard to solve them. Problem solving has to do with rules, and we've already covered that in this post.

Now we will look at some practical examples, and we will try to understand what rules eventually are at work behind the scenes.

Some of these rules are just brilliant. Others are all you need to die quickly and badly.

Let's start with this graph:

Regarding heroin, I tell you simply: ask Ozzy how it ends ... 

Solo climbing. Basically, you climb without a rope and if you fall you die. Apparently, it seems like sheer madness:

In reality, in the narrow world of ropeless climbers, those who are already dead ... died doing something even more dangerous. It seems that for some humans, climbing without ropes is not the deadliest activity, and this makes climbing without ropes the best option for an afternoon of leisure.

Dean Potter, for example, was a great free soloist, and he died flying in a wingsuit. A hideously dangerous sport.

In any case, those who decide to climb a wall without a rope, prepare themselves very precisely and carefully. They train a lot for what is a highly subjective search for sensations and experiences. But they are not unconscious fools. Far from it. If you are interested in learning more about this reality, no one better than Alex Honnold can. The rule behind this not as hideously risky sport as it may seem is: "Train and work hard every waking minute at your disposal".

The fecal transplant !? But it is absolutely disgusting! What's this? A modern form of torture? But no. It is a brilliant idea. In the feces there are many beneficial bacteria that can, if transferred to another individual, help him heal from many pathologies. The rule that led to this discovery could be: "When you HAVE to go from A to B, the means of transport may not be the most important thing ...".

Here is a great video explaining one of the many benefits of fecal transplantation:

The traditional school. It's certainly not a disaster, but it's not that big of a deal. Just look at the average speed at which children enter school and how quickly they leave school. 

The rule that underlies almost all schools is: "Let's get our children together somewhere and pay someone to make them learn by heart some notions that could be useful". 

What if it were enormously better to teach skills and not notions? Since things have not changed since the time of the Sumerians, I close it here and resign myself.

Newtonian physics. Wonderful. It looks smart and it is smart. It is the basis of a lot of beautiful things. And it allowed us to solve an ocean of problems. Just imagine having to build a bridge without knowing the laws of physics at all:

The basic rule of physics is the experimental method: "Put a theory under as much stress as possible, and see if it resists." In other words: experiment. 

And speaking of experiments, tons and tons of experiments tell us it's much better to use positive reinforcement instead of punishment to change behavior.

This is one of the best articles in the history of the study of human behavior if you want to learn more about how well postive reinforcement works.

Okay, no scientific studies support the idea that canned spaghetti are inherently evil. But the writer is Italian.

So canned spagnetti are bad.

Regarding the Deadpool pizza, give it a try. Then you can tell me how it went. You might be very surprised.

OK. We come now to the interpretation of dreams. Freud and psychoanalysis have been questioned for decades due to the lack of scientific basis. Frued's theories are now beyond any serious science of behavior. If you are interested, here is one of the many well-documented books that demonstrate the serious shortcomings of this approach. So, if you want to solve your psychological problems using dream interpretation, you will either get nothing or, worse, add confusion to your problems. Dreams say nothing that you don't already know. There is nothing to interpret. The (bad) rule that can lead to looking for hidden truths in a dream is: "Nothing happens by chance, everything must make sense and the more complicated and wordy is my theory, the more likely it is to be true". Sometimes the seemingly profound speeches are simply puns without any real use.

Quantum physics. It is so strange that I can't even describe how strange it is. It seems that at the subatomic level some bizarre things happen that no one has yet understood very well. But the theories that have been built on it, despite seeming insane, work. And very well! Rather than trying to say something sensible or understandable about quantum physics, the author of this post would rather take a walk on a minefield. I refer you to those who understood something. Perhaps one of the few who really understood something was Richard Feynman.

What is the rule that allows us to develop theories so far from common sense, such as quantum physics?

A wonderful rule: "Probably everything I know is wrong, in some ways. So there is no need to get too attached to a certain theory, and it is better to remain open to every hypothesis, even the most absurd. Then comes the experimental method. to tell us what works (temporarily) and what doesn't."

It's about staying humble and not pretending to know things you don't really know. The opposite attitude to dogmatism and fundamentalism. Instead of clinging to a small wretched rock, pretending it's all there, you venture out into the open sea, knowing that the ocean ahead could be infinite. However, humbly, we try to explore it a little.

Strict diets. Your body simply won't let you. Any sudden loss of fat mass is seen as an alarm, and after a while the hunger becomes uncontrolled. We are living organisms. Feeding ourselves is very important. We are made to eat and store energy reserves, that you never know another ice age is coming. If you want to lose weight, do it very slowly.

A rule that can help you is: "Some things are too good to be true!"

Do not collect radioactive elements. Don't do it. You will never become like this: