Scott H Young

I believe there are few things more valuable than building a meaningful philosophy on life. Although this may sound like a question best reserved for theologians and great thinkers, at the heart it is a practical question: What is your strategy for living?

Your criteria may differ, but I believe all good life philosophies have four basic parameters:

1. Survival. Except in rare circumstances, most good philosophies will fulfill your basic needs. This usually isn’t a big concern since most of us are living well beyond the minimum threshold required to simply survive.
2. Happiness. Good life philosophies should make you feel good. Great philosophies will keep you happy even in troubling circumstances. Victor Frankl in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, demonstrated how even in incredible suffering of the concentration camps he could still endure because of a powerful strategy for living.
3. Meaning. Happiness can rarely exist without meaning. Good philosophies should make you feel useful and valuable, otherwise when pleasurable moments fade you are left with nothing.
4. Independence of Circumstance. Your life philosophy needs to apply in all situations and circumstances. Your strategy for deriving meaning and happiness should last even after a breakup, death of a relative or unemployment.

Everyone has a philosophy on life, whether they realize it or not. The process of refining this philosophy is like building a ship. It will carry you in rough times and allow you to float easily during the pleasant moments. Here are some tips for refining your strategy on life:

1. Introspection. A life philosophy cannot be outsourced. Although many major religions package premade philosophies, the work of building a strategy for life is yours alone. Thinking about your beliefs and strategies is the only real way to do that. I recommend journaling or meditation to guide your thinking to come to real solutions.
2. Study other philosophies. Gather philosophies from other people and books. I try to be as broad as possible when exposing myself to other ways of thinking. I don’t believe you can be corrupted by a new way of thinking, so don’t limit yourself to exploring philosophies that only fit within your current expectations.
3. Focus on the answerable. Philosophy should be practical. This means focusing less on the unanswerable questions that just lead you in circles. I’m an atheist, but my opinion is that the question of whether there is a man in the clouds is besides the point. There is no grand truth, just now and experience. Answerable questions are like:
   • “What should I do to have a meaningful life?”
   • “How should I view painful moments so they don’t overwhelm me?”
   • “How should I act in relationships with other people?”
4. Don’t commit. Building a philosophy is an ongoing process of refinement, not an end result. I don’t ever expect to find a final answer, just increasingly better ones. My approach is to view any strategies I currently have as being the best available right now, but I am always open to new understandings.
5. Seek references. Experience can sculpt your strategy on life. I aim to find as many broad experiences as possible so I can use them as points of reference when developing a life philosophy. This doesn’t mean you need to smoke a lot of drugs or live in the wilderness, naked, for a year. Just that you shouldn’t limit yourself to the routine of your daily life.
6. Connect with others. Discuss your philosophy and find the philosophy of other people. I do my best to reserve judgment and simply observe. I’ve heard completely different philosophies on life from my own and each is a valuable source of new ideas. Don’t stop the flow by preaching or judging those with a different worldview.
7. Experiment. Philosophies need to be practical. They should affect how you think and what you do. Experiment with different approaches and see which connects best with the four criteria I mentioned above.
8. Collect new functions. Lenses and metaphors are an important component of a strategy for living. Read this article on building a library of thought functions to find more.
9. Hold conflicting ideas. I believe it was Aristotle who said, “it is the mark of an educated mind to hold two conflicting ideas in his head without accepting either.”
10. Be patient. I’m far from having a perfect strategy for living. I expect the process of refining a life philosophy will take decades, perhaps my entire life. There are no final answers, just slightly optimized ones.

Bonus: Don’t take it too seriously! A strategy for living is important, but it shouldn’t feel like a grave burden. Great philosophies make you feel excited by possibilities, adventure and opportunities. A good boat should be able to handle the rough seas, but it should also be comfortable when the water is calm and the sun is out.

Your brain is like a computer. Most computer languages use functions or methods to simplify common problems. Rewriting the same code every time you want to process how a button is clicked or a data is written would take forever. Functions simplify the code by having a template process that is flexible enough to handle different inputs.

Brains have functions too. These are little processes for routine cognition. Here are just a couple different types of ‘functions’ your brain utilizes to think:

• Habits - Routine actions are hardwired in.
• Metaphors - New ideas are filtered through existing understandings.
• Heuristics - Novel problems are broken down and use simplified tools to solve pieces of them.
• Lenses - Information is sorted according to functions of what the brain expects.
• Creativity - Information is mixed and blended in ways to create novelty.

Libraries of Thought Functions

To save time, many programmers find libraries of common functions. Why reinvent the GUI? Experienced programmers often save there own functions and classes from program to program. This allows them to have a personalized approach but it doesn’t require new effort for each application.

This is similar to how people think. We adopt functions of thought from other people to save time. We also store routine functions that we have built. Our little tricks for solving problems, our personal hacks for daily life and the lenses that we use to filter the world.

If you want to be an effective programmer, you need a large library of premade functions that you understand. These functions become your hammer and saw when constructing a program.

If you want to be an effective person, you need a large library of premade thought functions that you know how to use. Thought functions become your tools for effectiveness in life. Having a large base of functions helps you solve problems, understand the world and make you happier.

Finding New Functions

How do you build a thought function library? I believe the answer has two parts:

1. Itemize your current functions.
2. Collect and refine new functions.

Itemizing Current Functions

It is likely that you don’t even realize the functions you already have. It has only been in the last several months for myself that I started becoming aware of the methods I was using. Before that I often solved problems, absorbed new information or executed habits without thinking.

Start by noticing when you run functions…

• In your thinking. Does your thinking get caught in infinite loops of negativity? Poorly written functions can cause bugs in software. If your thinking functions can’t handle emotional problems they can spin out of control. Notice your flow of thinking when happy or sad. There are functions that create patterns.
• In problem solving. Do you solve problems through intuition? Experimentation? Logic? Seeking advice? All different functions. Recognizing your approach can reveal limitations.
• In behavior. How do you wake up? Eat? Talk to others? Are you organized or messy? Behavior has thousands of functions and habits. See them even if you feel you can’t change them.
• In perception. This is a bit trickier, but try to notice what you notice. What information do you look for first? What functions are you using to prioritize the data to your brain? Do you look for similarities with your current opinions? Differences? Do you look for details or the whole?

When I started programming, I had access to a library of functions, but I couldn’t reprogram them. Functions that automatically did things I didn’t want, becoming a burden. It took practice and time, but eventually I learned to reprogram functions I didn’t like. Creating my own libraries and modifying existing ones I finally had functions that worked for me.

Reprogramming your brain is a lot harder than reprogramming a computer. It takes a lot of skill, and unfortunately there are few tutorials. Become aware of the patterns you run. Label and explore these little functions. It may not be enough to change them, but it is a start.

Creating Your Thought Function Library

Once you start noticing your own functions, it is time to refine them. There are two ways you can build a thought function library. Steal functions or build your own.

When building your library, there are several types of functions you should be on the lookout for:

• Metaphors. Metaphors are a learning function that compress information. A good metaphor can compress a complex subject into a simpler one. Great metaphors are also highly linked so that you can explore the simple topic to understand the complex one. This article is based on giving you a new metaphor.
• Heuristics. Harder to find but still available. These are new methods of solving problems. Before I discovered the journaling heuristic, I had difficulty organizing my thoughts to solve problems. Since then I’ve found many heuristics from the specific to the abstract that help me think.
• Lenses. Different ways of viewing the world. The YouOS likes lenses less than Windows likes iTunes. Sometimes you need to force it in. I make a point of collecting different outlooks on problems and life.

How to Steal Functions

The world is filled with pieces of functions. All you need to do is watch and integrate it into the You Operating System. Stealing functions is like rummaging through a flea market. You are going to get a lot of crap, but when you find a gem it won’t cost you much.

• Read voraciously. It’s no secret I read a lot of books. I believe books are one of the best ways to pick out new functions. Right now I’m reading the Hindu holy book the Bhagavad-Gita. Why? Because it has unique lenses, metaphors and heuristics I wouldn’t otherwise find.
• Model others. Strip functions from other people. I frequently thief others heuristics and lenses. Whenever I see someone who is good at something I study closely and, when they aren’t looking, grab their functions and integrate them into my own.
• Ask for advice. Strangely, some people are actually giving away their functions for free. Find these people and ask for some functions. Only one of them has to be useful for the interaction to be worthwhile.
• Go to classes. A tad more expensive, but University courses offer tons of good functions. I was happy with the new collection I got last year. My psychology class offered specific heuristics such as operant and classical conditioning and some broader lenses I’ve found useful.
• Force novelty. Don’t get stuck in the same routine. I’ve picked up public speaking, weight lifting, dancing, writing, programming, painting, cooking and even a bit of music. Those experiences offered many heuristics I could adapt to my life.

Refining Your Own Functions

Thieving has its limits. The next step is to refine and build your own functions. The line between what you steal and what you make is blurry. Although I’ve programmed some basic GUI code, it has never been so radical I can’t claim some inspiration from classic interfaces. Building and stealing are often one in the same.

• Link ideas. Holistic learning is the metaphor of linking concepts and ideas together to create understandings. It also creates new functions.
• Retool your habits. Behavior functions have been a source of refining for myself for the past couple years. Recently I wrote an e-book documenting exactly how I do it.
• Experiment. Trial and error does produce results. Occasionally you’ll land on a great function.
• Generalize. A good macro-heuristic is to generalize specific functions. This means that whenever I see a function being applied in one setting, I try to strip away the details so it can be usable in other settings. I’m doing it right now with generalizing programming to everyday life.
• Label metaphors. When you find a new explanation or metaphor, label and explore it. When I started relating the processes of quick learners to building interlinking webs of information, I made a point of labeling this metaphor ‘holistic learning.’ This doesn’t mean the idea is entirely original, but labeling the metaphor made it easier to refine and explore later.

Debugging the Library

Most software has bugs. Glitches and errors that ruin performance. Refine your functions, seek out new ones and compare. Linux users often scoff that people still use Windows, despite the obvious flaws. Don’t let the same thing happen with your brain.

Image courtesy of flickr.