Rene Descartes: In doubt, we find wisdom
11 stoic concepts I try to live by
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Wisdom begins with doubt
When we are young, our minds are like sponges. We soak up information and knowledge quickly, and have little difficulty understanding new concepts and ideas. As we grow older, however, it gets harder to learn new things. Our brains become more selective about what information they let in.
The older we get, the harder it becomes to accept new ideas or perceptions of the world around us because our brain filters out anything that doesn’t fit with what we already know or think we know.
“Doubt is the origin of wisdom,” Rene Descartes said.
In his book ‘Meditations on First Philosophy’, René Descartes discusses the idea of doubt. He says that without doubt, we could not even conceive the existence of anything outside of our own minds. Descartes believed that doubt is the source of wisdom. “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things,” he said.
Doubt is the first step in gaining knowledge; without it, we could not progress. Doubt means we are questioning our beliefs and prepared to learn new things. It also means we are willing to look for new options to improve our lives.
Without doubt, we probably won’t upgrade on mindsets and perspectives about the world or look for better ways to become better versions of ourselves.
Doubt is necessary for change because it reveals where we might be wrong about something. Doubt often causes us to stop for a moment and reevaluate our opinions, beliefs and assumptions. It can help us to see what needs to change so that we can make improvements in our lives.
Doubt is vital to science. Scientists question everything. Curiosity and doubt drive scientific discovery.
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned,” Richard Feynman said.
Doubt is a sign that you have an open mind and a willingness to learn. Doubt also signals that you are willing to adapt and change based on new information.
There are three types of doubt: justified, unjustified, and blind optimism.
Justified doubt happens when you are presented with evidence that suggests that your current belief may not be correct. It can lead to greater self-awareness, increased critical thinking skills and increased appreciation for evidence-based thinking. Justified doubt can also help you avoid premature closure and confirmation bias, which are cognitive biases that cause you to only see things in the light that supports your existing beliefs.
Unjustified doubt is making an assumption about something without sufficient evidence to support it. It can lead to irrational beliefs and limit your ability to learn from new experiences because it prevents you from considering new possibilities.
Blind optimism is failing to consider all possible outcomes before deciding or taking action. This type of thinking can result in poor choices and poor decision-making.
Doubt is an uncomfortable feeling. It makes us feel insecure and uncertain about ourselves, our actions, and the world around us. But these are precisely why doubt is such a crucial part of the human experience.
Knowledge is a product of doubt
“We know with confidence only when we know little; with knowledge doubt increases,” says JW von Goethe.
Through doubt, we challenge our beliefs and reassess them in light of new information or alternative points of view. It forces us to question what we once thought was true. It can be scary because it makes us question everything we believe in and everyone we trust.
We all have moments when we feel uncertain, confused, or fearful about something that has been said or done. Doubt can be extremely unsettling, especially if we experience it in response to something important to us or someone else in our lives.
Having doubt is not necessarily bad, as it is always crucial for us to question everything we know to find and discover better knowledge.
When you doubt something, it forces you to question your beliefs and assumptions, leading to a greater understanding through research.
Doubt is often seen as a weakness. People are afraid of being “found out” and therefore pretend to be certain about things when they aren’t. People are afraid of being taken for a fool and therefore don’t speak their minds. But it is precisely this fear that prevents people from growing and developing into their full potential.
Many people try to avoid doubt by clinging to certain beliefs or ideas when faced with doubt. Although doubt may feel scary at first, it can help us become versions of ourselves. However, we must not let fear stop us from questioning our beliefs, as it could lead to unnecessary suffering.
One way to develop doubt is to examine your beliefs critically. Ask yourself why you believe what you do and how strong your belief is on that topic. You can also test your beliefs by trying out some new ideas.
Voltaire said, “Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.”
By testing your beliefs and thinking of better or improved options, you will begin to build a foundation of knowledge. This will help you become more open-minded and better evaluate evidence for yourself.
Examining your views critically also helps you see things from different perspectives. You may find that someone else’s view makes sense after all, or that there are other ways to view an issue than the way you initially assumed it was. That way, doubt can lead to wisdom, understanding and critical thinking skills. Ultimately, doubt is a source of wisdom because it forces people to think and look for improved ways to lead better or smarter life.
Food for thought
3. Premeditatio malorum — prepare for the worst
Premeditatio malorum means “premeditation of the worst.”
We all have hopes, but things don’t always go as planned. If you expect things to be perfect, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
By picturing setbacks, you’re less shocked when they happen.
The stoics thought it was better to remain calm when things go wrong.Anticipate worst-case scenarios and think throughhow you would handle them.
That way, when things don’t go as planned, you’re not caught off guard — you’re ready to face whatever comes with resilience.
Having your life together is probably the most important precursor to living altruistically. If we neglect our financial foundations, we can become the friend who’s always broke and needs to borrow money. If we neglect our productivity foundations, we can become so frazzled at work that we can’t contribute. If we neglect the foundations of our relationships and interests, we can find ourselves stuck at home because of years of inactivity. Neglecting foundations tends to make us less able to help others and more dependent on others for help.
Author Oliver Burkeman on why you will never feel ‘on top of things”
“The problem with trying to make time for everything that feels important—or just for enough of what feels important—is that you definitely never will. The reason isn’t that you haven’t yet discovered the right time management tricks or supplied sufficient effort, or that you need to start getting up earlier, or that you’re generally useless. It’s that the underlying assumption is unwarranted: there’s no reason to believe you’ll ever feel ‘on top of things,’ or make time for everything that matters, simply by getting more done.”
Source: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Author Gabriel Weinberg on reversible and irreversible decisions
“There is a natural conflict between the desire to make decisions quickly and the feeling that you need to accumulate more information to be sure you are making the right choice. You can deal with this conflict by categorizing decisions as either reversible decisions or irreversible decisions. Irreversible decisions are hard if not impossible to unwind.”
Source: Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models
Two questions worth asking
Asking ‘What are you optimising for?’ allows us to be intentional and focus our results on something that’s actually valuable to us. Regardless of whether or not we’re aware of it, we’re all optimising for some sort of outcome. This question helped me make very important decisions.
When I grapple with a difficult decision or when I’m running out of time to go through a long to-do list, I ask myself ‘What matters most?’ – it’s a question that never fails to help me stay focused on what’s important.
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Thanks for reading!
Until next week,
Thomas
Medium | All Courses | The Write Life | Philosophy For Modern Life
Postanly Weekly is now a reader-supported publication. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for an entire year. With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).
Really enjoyed this! Thank you