Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to
be here. You know that feeling, right? Where
it seems like everyone's just at each other's
throats. Like you can't even have a conversation
anymore. Oh, absolutely. It feels incredibly
divisive out there sometimes. Almost like people
are speaking different languages. Exactly. And
it feels like nobody can even see the other side's
point. Just total gridlock. Well, that feeling,
that absolute certainty in our own... That's
kind of the core of what we're diving into today.
Right. We're looking at this book, The Certainty
Trap by Ilana Redstone. It's a sort of sociology,
maybe political science. Yeah, it fits in that
space. And it's really digging into why we get
so locked into our beliefs, especially on those
really hot button topics. OK, so the basic idea,
if I'm getting it right, is that this, this certainty
we feel, it actually stops us from understanding
where other people are coming from. Precisely.
Redstone argues it's like we put on blinders.
We become so sure we're right that we we can't
even entertain the possibility that someone else
has a valid different perspective. And what's
interesting, you know, is that she's not trying
to change what you believe. No, not at all. It's
much deeper than that. It's about changing how
you arrive at those beliefs. Like examining the
thought process itself. Which is often the harder
part, isn't it? We focus on the disagreement,
not the underlying mechanics of how we think
about it. Yeah. That was definitely something
I liked about the book. It doesn't just, you
know, talk about political arguments on the surface.
Right. It goes into the cognitive stuff, the
thinking habits behind why we judge things the
way we do. The foreword kind of hints at this.
It's the why not just the what. And it shows
how this certainty thing, it pops up everywhere,
doesn't it? Not just. Politics. Oh, yeah. Personal
relationships, work stuff, how we think about
big social issues. Yeah. It's all over the place
once you start looking. What else stood out for
you? I thought the way she identified those specific
thinking tracks was really helpful. Ah, yeah.
The fallacies like the settled question fallacy.
Exactly. Or the fallacy of equal knowledge, assuming
everyone knows what you know, and the fallacy
of known intent, thinking you absolutely know
why someone did something. Right. Chapters one
and two lay those out really clearly, I thought,
with good examples. They're powerful because,
well, they feel like shortcuts, don't they? But
they actually block real understanding. They
stop us seeing the gray areas. Totally. Now,
on a flip side. And, you know, thinking about
people maybe wanting quick takeaways, it is quite
dense. It packs a lot in. Yeah. Lots of examples,
concepts piled up. So it can feel a little overwhelming,
maybe, if you're not careful. And also, it doesn't
really give you easy answers. Well, that's fair.
It's very good at diagnosing the problem, the
trap itself. Maybe less prescriptive on the how
to get out of it part. Right. It's not like a
five -step plan to stop being certain. It's more
about awareness. Which makes sense, I think.
Changing these deep thinking habits, that's not
a quick fix kind of problem. No, definitely not.
So, okay, weighing all that. The really valuable
insights into our thinking, but also the density
and lack of easy solutions. Where do you land
on a reading? I'm thinking a solid four out of
five stars. It's important. It offers a really
useful lens, even if you need to, you know, focus
a bit to get through it. I'd agree with that.
A four out of five feels right. It makes you
think, makes you reflect on your own processes,
which is valuable in itself. Absolutely. OK,
so that wraps up our main look at the certainty
trap. A lot to chew on there. For sure. Hey,
this sparked your interest and you want to read
Redstone's book yourself. We've put the Amazon
link down in the description. Worth checking
out if this topic resonates. And of course, if
you found this deep dive helpful, please do give
us a like and subscribe so you don't miss future
ones. We always appreciate the support. So thinking
about our chat. What was the biggest like aha
moment for you from the book or our discussion?
Oh, good question. For me, probably recognizing
the fallacy of known intent in everyday life.
Assuming you know why someone cut you off in
traffic or sent that cart email. Yeah, that's
a good one. We'd love to hear from you all listening.
What was your aha moment? Or maybe when have
you noticed that certainty trap? grabbing hold
of your own thinking. Let us know in the comments.
Definitely. Drop us a comment and please share
this deep dive with anyone else you think might
find it, you know, thought provoking. Yeah, spread
the word. Thanks so much for tuning in, everyone.
Until our next deep dive, maybe try questioning
one certainty today. See what happens.