#secondorderthinking

A core component of making great decisions is understanding the rationale behind previous decisions. If we don’t understand how we got “here,” we run the risk of making things much worse.

The above quote from Farnam Street’s article entitled “Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking” is one of my core tenets in studying history, if I don’t know where I/We came from how am I to know how we will go forward into the future? This article is one that I have been mulling over ever since I read it and I cannot recommend it enough. Chesterton’s Fence, as the article states, in its most basic form is this: Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place. It is such a convicting concept and I don’t know that I can sum up the article well at all, other than suggest that you read it in its entirety. The reason for the fence may be illogical or inconsequential, but it is still a reason. This short paragraph would be the one I would circle and highlight and write out on an index card to hang where I can see it often, “Chesterton also alluded to the all-too-common belief that previous generations were bumbling fools, stumbling around, constructing fences wherever they fancied. Should we fail to respect their judgement and not try to understand it, we run the risk of creating new, unexpected problems. By and large, people do not do things for no reason. We’re all lazy at heart. We don’t like to waste time and resources on useless fences. Not understanding something does not mean it must be pointless.” My own emphasis added.

And this right here, “Chesterton’s Fence is not an admonishment of anyone who tries to make improvements; it is a call to be aware of second-order thinking before intervening. It reminds us that we don’t always know better than those who made decisions before us, and we can’t see all the nuances to a situation until we’re intimate with it. Unless we know why someone made a decision, we can’t safely change it or conclude that they were wrong.”

I think that this second-order thinking is not only applicable to history, to government, etc. but to how we communicate and live with those around us. Knowing why the people that we work with or for, and the people we live with, make the choices that they do will most assuredly help us to understand them better and not always jump to conclusions. As the article suggests though, understanding someone’s reasoning does not make said reasoning logical or consequential but it definitely helps our treatment of the people around us.

                                                                This video is mind-blowing and I love it. WIRED does a tour of North American accents and explains the accents and their history beautifully. They explain what creates accents and how different accents have evolved and how they continue to evolve. Ocracoke Island in North Carolina has one of the most distinctive dialects in North America, it has a fascinating history. Supposedly native British English and native English Australian speakers will confuse Ocracoke speakers with native British and Australians. Also, North Carolina has the most diversity of accents in North America. I have only watched part one so far, here is part two if you’d like to check it out as well.

 A Light exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson

A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period – When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad On Solitary Fields That Science cannot overtake But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn, It shows the furthest Tree Upon the furthest Slope you know It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step Or Noons report away Without the Formula of sound It passes and we stay –