How Advice Can Make You Dumb

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, paralyzed by indecision, and then eagerly turned to others for advice? It’s a natural reaction. We seek guidance from friends, family, mentors, or even strangers on the internet, hoping they have the answers we can’t find on our own. But what if I told you that advice, while well-intentioned, might actually be making us less capable of thinking clearly and independently? What if the layers of advice we accumulate over time become a fog, obscuring our ability to think from first principles?

Let's break this down. Why do we seek advice in the first place? Often, it's because we're uncertain. We crave certainty and look for someone who seems to have it. But what if that certainty is just an illusion? What if advice isn't a one-size-fits-all solution but a one-size-fits-one? Advice often reflects the adviser’s experiences, biases, and circumstances, not ours. It’s like borrowing a pair of shoes; they might fit, but more often than not, they pinch or leave too much room in the toes.

The Mirage of Certainty

Think about it. When someone gives you advice, what are they really doing? They’re offering a version of reality filtered through their experiences, beliefs, and biases. While they may have your best interests at heart, their advice is inherently subjective. It's colored by their successes and failures, their fears and ambitions. Yet, when we receive advice, we often take it as an objective truth, forgetting that it's just one perspective among many.

The Layer Over Reality

Advice, in its essence, adds a layer over reality. This layer can obscure our view, like fog on a window. Instead of seeing the world clearly and making decisions based on our unique circumstances, we end up relying on these layers—preconceived notions and borrowed wisdom. This is especially true when advice is given without context, when it doesn't come with the necessary background to understand why it was relevant in the first place.

Consider the cultural context. Growing up in Morocco, there's often advice passed down from generation to generation about how to live a good life, how to behave, how to succeed. These pieces of advice are rooted in tradition and experience, but they don't always align with the rapidly changing world around us. The advice that might have been useful in a previous generation doesn't always translate well into the digital age, where the pace of change is faster than ever. If I were to follow traditional advice without questioning it, I might miss opportunities that are unique to our time.

Thinking from First Principles

So, how do we avoid the trap of letting advice make us dumb? One way is by thinking from first principles. This means breaking down complex problems into their most basic, foundational elements and reasoning up from there. Instead of relying on advice that adds an unnecessary layer over reality, we strip everything down to its core and rebuild our understanding based on fundamental truths.

Imagine you're dealing with a challenge at work, perhaps a network issue that's causing delays. Instead of following the standard advice or protocol, you ask: What is the root cause of this problem? What are the fundamental principles of network behavior? By approaching the issue from first principles, you might discover a solution that’s more effective than any advice you received.

Why Don't We Think from First Principles More Often?

It’s not easy. Thinking from first principles requires effort and, more importantly, courage. It's much easier to accept advice at face value than to question it, especially when it comes from someone we respect or trust. But when we stop questioning, we stop thinking critically. We become passive receivers of knowledge rather than active seekers of truth.

Advice can be comforting. It gives us a sense of direction and purpose, especially when we're feeling lost. But comfort isn’t always what we need. Sometimes, what we need is to embrace uncertainty and think deeply about our unique situation. As someone deeply involved in technology, I've seen firsthand how innovation often comes from questioning established norms and thinking differently.