1/ Four ways to evaluate an idea. A quick thread, on four words: history, consequences, support, criticism.

2/ A. Try to understand something of the origin of the idea or thought since all ideas have a history. Where does it come from? What journey did it take to get here? Even if the answer is approximate, a sense of the idea's past is better than assuming it emerged out of thin air.
3/ B. Look at the implications of the idea. Ideas, as Richard Weaver says, have consequences. All thoughts lead to other thoughts, and may end up with specific concrete expressions in the world, too. What does that idea imply? What could it lead to if taken (too) seriously?
4/ C. Try to understand what sort of support or foundation might sustain the idea. This amounts to trying to see the idea in the best light. What research supports it? What arguments have been made? What wisdom has been tested regarding the idea?
5/ D. Look at objections to the idea. Look for (possible) negatives and missed nuances. Is the foundation flimsy? What does it fail to account for? What criticisms can be or have been made of the idea?
6/ Of course, each of these concerns could possibly require a dissertation, depending on the idea in question, but even having a minimum awareness of these dimensions (history, consequences, support and criticism) can help to deepen understanding. Isn't that nice?

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I’m torn on how to approach the idea of luck. I’m the first to admit that I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. To be born into a prosperous American family in 1960 with smart parents is to start life on third base. The odds against my very existence are astronomical.


I’ve always felt that the luckiest people I know had a talent for recognizing circumstances, not of their own making, that were conducive to a favorable outcome and their ability to quickly take advantage of them.

In other words, dumb luck was just that, it required no awareness on the person’s part, whereas “smart” luck involved awareness followed by action before the circumstances changed.

So, was I “lucky” to be born when I was—nothing I had any control over—and that I came of age just as huge databases and computers were advancing to the point where I could use those tools to write “What Works on Wall Street?” Absolutely.

Was I lucky to start my stock market investments near the peak of interest rates which allowed me to spend the majority of my adult life in a falling rate environment? Yup.