Topic: Managing Your Mind as a Rational Egoist

A rational egoist faces facts, pursues values, and activates the full context of his knowledge to guide his choices and actions. Since each of these mental activities involves conscious choice, they cannot be automatized. They require active management. In addition, if you are learning them, these activities may feel uncomfortable, which increases the amount of active management needed.

The number of issues to pay attention to can easily overload your mental "crow" space. In this class, I will offer a simple model for developing skill at managing your mind. I will recommend you develop proficiency first at identifying priorities, then at setting goals, and finally at changing premises. My new working titles for courses on these topics are:

How to identify the top priority now
How to set goals that motivate
How to change premises that hold you back

We will discuss why I recommend this order, and how these high level skills relate to the many tactics taught in the Thinking Lab, such as thinking on paper, introspection, and planned evolution.