MONTHLY MULLING💡

The Secret to a Long Life & Learn to Think Critically Like Socrates

Hi👋 Tapan here.

Monthly Mulling is a bi-monthly newsletter curating the best ideas from the web to your inbox for free. High signal. Low noise. Join now👇🏽

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Happy Sunday y’all!

I recently read in a newsletter by Ali Abdaal 👇🏽

In your 20s do three fascinating things that job interviewers and dinner companions will want to ask you about for the rest of your life

So here’s a question.

🤔 What’s that one fascinating thing you did (or are planning to do) in your 20s that you will talk about for the rest of your life? (Reply to this email or comment!)

For me, it’s moving alone to two different countries, the month-long California trip right after graduation, and probably starting this newsletter and podcast😇

Straight from the California trip archive, McWay Falls in Big Sur! If you’re wondering what’s up with the exposure - I was learning the manual mode on my DSLR and as you can see, was pretty shit at it.

Currently,

📖 What I am reading: Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

📺 What I am watching:

• Everything Everywhere All At Once - What a brilliant brilliant movie! It is a sci-fi fantasy with family drama, comedy, romance, and philosophy. And it’s wacky as hell. Go watch!

• I am 20 - Film Division of India asked 20-year-olds in 1967 what do they think about the future of India which had been independent for 20 years at the time. This YouTube video is like a time capsule into the minds of young Indians.

Let’s start🚀

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🤔 The Simplified Socratic Method (Book: The Consolations of Philosophy)

Humans are wired for critical thinking, born with innate curiosity. But as we grow old, we lose this curiosity because of many base assumptions🤦🏽‍♂️

We stop asking why. We lose the desire to dig deeper. “Because that’s how it is supposed to be”, is the go-to response.

One way to build the critical thinking muscle again is the Socratic Method.

Explain the Socratic Method in a meme

You can use the Socratic Method in investing, business, or arguing with a stranger over the internet😂

Before I explain the steps involved, let’s discuss one common assumption.

The correctness of a statement cannot be determined by whether it is held by a majority or has been believed for a long time by important people.

A correct statement is one incapable of being rationally contradicted. A statement is true if it cannot be disproved.

The Simplified Socratic Method

Here are the five steps:

1. Statement: Locate a statement confidently described as common sense.

2. Question: Imagine for a moment that the statement is false despite the confidence of the person proposing it. Search for situations or contexts where the statement would not be true.

3. Response: If an exception is found to step 2, the definition must be false or at least imprecise.

4. Reiterate: The initial statement must be nuanced to take the exception into account.

5. Repeat: If one subsequently finds exceptions to the improved statements, the process should be repeated. The truth lies in a statement which it seems impossible to disprove.

It is by finding out what something is not that one comes closest to understanding what it is. (Tweet this)

Let’s look at an example.

1. Statement: Acting courageously involves not retreating in battle.

2. Question: Could one ever be courageous and yet retreat in battle?

3. Response: Yes - It is possible to be courageous and retreat. It is possible to stay firm in battle yet not be courageous.

4. Reiterate: Acting courageously can involve both retreat and advance in battle.

5. Repeat: Could one not be involved in retreat and advance and yet be courageous in battle?

The Socratic Method did put Socrates in trouble. He was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth and impiety (lack of proper respect for something considered sacred i.e. their religion)🤦🏽‍♂️

You must have seen this art (probably seen a meme). It’s a painting called “The Death of Socrates” by Jacques-Louis David. Socrates was visited by friends on his last night in the prison including Plato who can be seen at the foot of the bed. This is moments before he drank the hemlock.

What he had actually done was educate the youth, teaching them to challenge arguments from authority and question what they believed to be true.

Socrates pushed for rationality and dug deeper to understand the truth. This involved understanding not only why something was true, but also why its alternatives were false🤔

If you disagree with someone, you should understand their side better than they do before you open your mouth.

- Charlie Munger

⭐ Socrates was the wisest man in Athens. Not because of how much he knew, but because he was the only one who understood how much he did not know. (Share this on Twitter)

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🙌🏽 Exploring the Island Where People Refuse to Die (Video: 20 mins)

Yes Theory visits an island in one of the blue zones. What the heck is a blue zone?😕

These are towns where the world’s healthiest people live. People in this town show a high level of happiness, fewer diseases, and living above 100 years is very common.

Yes Theory tries to seek (discomfort and) an answer 😏

Why is it common for people in these towns to live above 100? Watch the video! It’s worth it. I was smiling throughout the video.

The answers?

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Communal living: People live like a big family in this town. They gather for occasions, share food, show compassion, and hang out more often.

🥗 Eating locally sourced: Their diets consisted mostly of food grown around the region cooked at home.

🤸🏽‍♂️ Exercise: Not talking about hard workouts but some form of body movement. In the video, you can see the 98 old grandmother gardening!

Does this actually work? Can it be this simple? Tbh I am not sure but there’s one thing that I have realised. Good advise is usually simple 🤷🏽‍♂️

Be nice. Be honest. Eat healthy. Avoid addiction. Walk daily. Love with an open heart. Help others. Spend less than you earn. Don’t be stupid.

So this might just work 😊

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🎙COLD BREW MONEY

💸 Is Prosus Still A Buy?: We bought Prosus in April by cloning Mohnish Pabrai. A lot has changed since then. Here’s the update.

📉 Investing During A Recession: We discuss 3 filters that we look at while investing during a recession and 3 stocks that hit those filters currently.

Can I ask you to share the podcast with one friend/family this weekend?

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