Epistemology is fucked. Knowing things, and knowing that you know things is really hard. After learning about philosophical skepticism, induction and other brain-breaking epistemological problems in university. I adamantly decided that since knowing things was impossible I was just going to start believing in whatever I thought was cooler. I quickly became a flat earther just because I thought the notion that the world rested on a turtle's back was way cooler than whatever round-earth solar-system jargon nasa was perpetuating. Since I thought no one could prove that they knew anything at all, let alone that the world was round I was perfectly at ease with my new opinion.

However I've since matured (marginally so), and now believe that it's sometimes best to throw philosophy out the window if you want to be a functioning member of society. Sometimes it makes sense to have opinions that are rooted in facts. But the problem is that even if you forget the induction, skepticism and the rest of the brain-fuckery, it's still insanely hard to justify any one opinion over another. Who do you believe? Is this food good or bad for me? Is this study method more effective than this one? Should I learn Rust? Ad infinitum. Where do you get your opinions from? How do you know that what you're consuming is grounded in fact and not propaganda. Before I explain my current framework for opinions there's something, you should think about to think about.

An idea that has immensely increased my wellbeing is that you don't need to have an opinion about everything. Sometimes it makes the most sense to just not have an opinion about said thing. There are a number of reasons for this, sometimes it's just not worth the time and energy researching the topic. Sometimes you don't really care about the topic. Or sometimes it's a polarizing topic that you don't want to be on either side of. If you don't feel strongly about a controversial issue, you don't have to pick a side. You can be Switzerland, understand that the issue is delicate and people feel strongly about both sides. Recognize both opinions, but don't hold one in higher regard than the other. There's also a huge social benefit to this. By not having an opinion about a polarizing topic you don't run the risk of adding unnecessary friction between yourself and someone with an opposing opinion. If you don't feel strongly about something what's the point of risking that friction anyways?1

But sometimes you want, or maybe you even need an opinion. I might need an opinion as to whether or not I should take a certain medication, or whether I should put time and energy into learning a new technology. How am I meant to figure out where to get my opinions? I argue that 98.7% of opinions should be outsourced (I made that number up, but it feels about right). You don't have the time to become an expert in everything. If you're lucky you might become an expert at one or two things in your lifetime. So why not just find an expert you trust, and agree with all of their opinions in their domain without resistance. You can assume that even if they're occasionally wrong they're probably going to be wrong less of the time than you are.

• Find someone you think you can trust, who has a substantial amount of experience in the field that you're looking into, but still seems as though they keep up with new developments in their space. This could be by using new technologies, still reading papers or just keeping up with current trends.
• See what people who disagree with that person disagree with them about.
• Decide which side seems as though they have put more time, energy and critical thinking into their opinion.
• Mindlessly make that opinion your own, until it either stops working for you, or more information comes to light

Now you might not like that last point, but bear with me for a second. Unless you're also an expert in that field are you ever going to put as much time and energy into learning about that specific topic as that person has? Probably not. You can also assume that they are as intelligent, more intelligent or at least close to as intelligent as you. So why disagree with them? You can trust that their opinions are well thought out and lay on the foundation of years of work in the field. Years of foundation that you don't have. Make their opinion your own. It'll do wonders for your wellbeing. You no longer have to worry about who to believe or what to think as you've now outsourced your thinking on that topic to someone you know is more qualified than yourself.

For an example of someone I outsource my thinking to. I outsource most of my health and wellbeing opinions to Andrew Huberman. I trust as a phd from Stanford he probably knows a bit more about the human body than me, so I'll trust that what he says is good for me probably is.

Do I see the irony of voicing my opinion on not having opinions? Yes…