WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.520 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:04.080 be here. You know that feeling, right? Where 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:06.940 it seems like everyone's just at each other's 00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:08.820 throats. Like you can't even have a conversation 00:00:08.820 --> 00:00:11.900 anymore. Oh, absolutely. It feels incredibly 00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:14.539 divisive out there sometimes. Almost like people 00:00:14.539 --> 00:00:16.679 are speaking different languages. Exactly. And 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:19.620 it feels like nobody can even see the other side's 00:00:19.620 --> 00:00:21.940 point. Just total gridlock. Well, that feeling, 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:25.300 that absolute certainty in our own... That's 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:27.960 kind of the core of what we're diving into today. 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:30.179 Right. We're looking at this book, The Certainty 00:00:30.179 --> 00:00:33.740 Trap by Ilana Redstone. It's a sort of sociology, 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:36.520 maybe political science. Yeah, it fits in that 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:39.039 space. And it's really digging into why we get 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:41.759 so locked into our beliefs, especially on those 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.619 really hot button topics. OK, so the basic idea, 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.039 if I'm getting it right, is that this, this certainty 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:50.859 we feel, it actually stops us from understanding 00:00:50.859 --> 00:00:53.299 where other people are coming from. Precisely. 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:55.939 Redstone argues it's like we put on blinders. 00:00:56.179 --> 00:00:59.399 We become so sure we're right that we we can't 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:01.520 even entertain the possibility that someone else 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.920 has a valid different perspective. And what's 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:05.700 interesting, you know, is that she's not trying 00:01:05.700 --> 00:01:08.579 to change what you believe. No, not at all. It's 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:11.739 much deeper than that. It's about changing how 00:01:11.739 --> 00:01:15.099 you arrive at those beliefs. Like examining the 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:17.340 thought process itself. Which is often the harder 00:01:17.340 --> 00:01:19.060 part, isn't it? We focus on the disagreement, 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:22.379 not the underlying mechanics of how we think 00:01:22.379 --> 00:01:24.299 about it. Yeah. That was definitely something 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:25.879 I liked about the book. It doesn't just, you 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:27.920 know, talk about political arguments on the surface. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:29.879 Right. It goes into the cognitive stuff, the 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:32.700 thinking habits behind why we judge things the 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:35.420 way we do. The foreword kind of hints at this. 00:01:35.540 --> 00:01:37.540 It's the why not just the what. And it shows 00:01:37.540 --> 00:01:39.799 how this certainty thing, it pops up everywhere, 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:43.079 doesn't it? Not just. Politics. Oh, yeah. Personal 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:46.060 relationships, work stuff, how we think about 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:48.900 big social issues. Yeah. It's all over the place 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:50.959 once you start looking. What else stood out for 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:54.480 you? I thought the way she identified those specific 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:58.280 thinking tracks was really helpful. Ah, yeah. 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:01.079 The fallacies like the settled question fallacy. 00:02:01.609 --> 00:02:04.890 Exactly. Or the fallacy of equal knowledge, assuming 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:07.129 everyone knows what you know, and the fallacy 00:02:07.129 --> 00:02:09.710 of known intent, thinking you absolutely know 00:02:09.710 --> 00:02:12.729 why someone did something. Right. Chapters one 00:02:12.729 --> 00:02:15.849 and two lay those out really clearly, I thought, 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:18.289 with good examples. They're powerful because, 00:02:18.370 --> 00:02:21.150 well, they feel like shortcuts, don't they? But 00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:23.310 they actually block real understanding. They 00:02:23.310 --> 00:02:26.389 stop us seeing the gray areas. Totally. Now, 00:02:26.509 --> 00:02:29.280 on a flip side. And, you know, thinking about 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:32.479 people maybe wanting quick takeaways, it is quite 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:35.139 dense. It packs a lot in. Yeah. Lots of examples, 00:02:35.379 --> 00:02:37.840 concepts piled up. So it can feel a little overwhelming, 00:02:37.939 --> 00:02:42.560 maybe, if you're not careful. And also, it doesn't 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:44.240 really give you easy answers. Well, that's fair. 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:46.419 It's very good at diagnosing the problem, the 00:02:46.419 --> 00:02:48.919 trap itself. Maybe less prescriptive on the how 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:50.780 to get out of it part. Right. It's not like a 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:53.520 five -step plan to stop being certain. It's more 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:55.759 about awareness. Which makes sense, I think. 00:02:56.139 --> 00:02:58.900 Changing these deep thinking habits, that's not 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:01.639 a quick fix kind of problem. No, definitely not. 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:06.180 So, okay, weighing all that. The really valuable 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:10.379 insights into our thinking, but also the density 00:03:10.379 --> 00:03:13.120 and lack of easy solutions. Where do you land 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.419 on a reading? I'm thinking a solid four out of 00:03:16.419 --> 00:03:19.379 five stars. It's important. It offers a really 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:22.000 useful lens, even if you need to, you know, focus 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.000 a bit to get through it. I'd agree with that. 00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:25.860 A four out of five feels right. It makes you 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:28.080 think, makes you reflect on your own processes, 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:31.259 which is valuable in itself. Absolutely. OK, 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:33.259 so that wraps up our main look at the certainty 00:03:33.259 --> 00:03:36.039 trap. A lot to chew on there. For sure. Hey, 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:37.699 this sparked your interest and you want to read 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:40.199 Redstone's book yourself. We've put the Amazon 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:41.960 link down in the description. Worth checking 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:43.939 out if this topic resonates. And of course, if 00:03:43.939 --> 00:03:45.580 you found this deep dive helpful, please do give 00:03:45.580 --> 00:03:47.259 us a like and subscribe so you don't miss future 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:50.740 ones. We always appreciate the support. So thinking 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:54.520 about our chat. What was the biggest like aha 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:59.400 moment for you from the book or our discussion? 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:04.039 Oh, good question. For me, probably recognizing 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:06.900 the fallacy of known intent in everyday life. 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:09.319 Assuming you know why someone cut you off in 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:11.919 traffic or sent that cart email. Yeah, that's 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:13.919 a good one. We'd love to hear from you all listening. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:18.399 What was your aha moment? Or maybe when have 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:21.579 you noticed that certainty trap? grabbing hold 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:23.439 of your own thinking. Let us know in the comments. 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:25.939 Definitely. Drop us a comment and please share 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:27.800 this deep dive with anyone else you think might 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.360 find it, you know, thought provoking. Yeah, spread 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:32.519 the word. Thanks so much for tuning in, everyone. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.500 Until our next deep dive, maybe try questioning 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:37.259 one certainty today. See what happens.