#171: Availability Cascade, Toxoplasma of Rage & Dead and Alive Thinking
3 Ideas in 2 Minutes on Making Ideas Your Own
I. Availability Cascade
An Availability Cascade is a self-reinforcing process where an idea gains increasing importance and acceptance through repetition and widespread availability.
It starts with an initial piece of information that captures attention. Then it gets amplified and circulated widely through the media or social circles. As it becomes more visible, the idea seems increasingly important, leading more people to adopt and discuss it, which in turn validates and reinforces its importance. In a feedback loop, the idea's perceived significance continues to grow until it shapes public opinion and influences decision-making.
The media is not the only culprit in artificially amplifying ideas through Availability Cascades. But it sure is a major one.
👉 On a related note, I’ve written about another reason to be sceptical about what you read in the media, the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect.
II. Toxoplasma of Rage
The Toxoplasma gondii parasite is known for manipulating the behaviour of its hosts to increase its own transmission. The Toxoplasma of Rage works in a similar way.
Ideas that generate strong emotional reactions such as anger, tend to spread more rapidly and widely than those that do not. People are more likely to rally around these divisive ideas as those can become focal points for tribalism and identity signalling. Not because people agree with them. But because they see them as symbols of loyalty to their tribe or group.
When people perceive an idea as a threat to their identity or beliefs, they may feel compelled to vehemently defend their position or attack opposing viewpoints. Fuelled by negative emotions, the Toxoplasma of Rage drives the propagation of ideas and influences our collective behaviour, often at the expense of critical thinking.
The term was coined by writer Scott Alexander on his blog Slate Star Codex.
III. Dead and Alive Thinking
Critical thinking means to make ideas come to life within you by reflecting, evaluating and refining ideas from other people. But how should you go about actually making ideas your own?
You want to be able to think for youself. Right? So you're not just absorbing ideas from other people and kind of mimicking them. And kind of learning the exterior of their ideas. You want to kind of digest them and then have them slowly become your own ideas by interacting with them, putting them through your own lens. [...]
I talked a lot about […] the difference between dead thinking and alive thinking. Ideas can be either alive or they can be dead. An alive idea is something that enters your brain from an external source, a philosopher, an article, somebody you admire or somebody you hate. And then you absorb it and you think about it and the you decide, I'm going to turn it around into this and I'm going to make it alive, and make it something that's part of me.
🐘
Have a great week,
Chris
themindcollection.com