The Future Of Reasoning

Vsauce2 HN recommenders · 2024–2024
12.8M views · explainer · evergreen · Uploaded 2021-04-28

Vsauce explores how human reasoning works, drawing on the social theory of reason and the extended mind thesis, made in partnership with Bill Gates around climate change.

HN commenters cite it for the social theory that reasoning evolved as a collaborative activity, and one lists it as a favorite video.

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4 comments from Hacker News

@Leftium2024 · in “Ask HN: Slow thinkers, how do you compensate for your lack of quick-wittedness?”

> my brain defaults to looking for flaws in arguments rather than reasons to support them May be due to how reasoning is a social activity humans evolved to save time and cognitive load via division of labor. 1. An individual's reasoning workload is reduced by forming a bias. The gaps left by this bias can be filled with others' reasoning. For example if Gail focuses on why a business idea is good and Bob focuses on why that same idea is bad, they reduced the total amount of reasoning required by 50%. 2. If strong reasons are always prepared for everything, effort is wasted when others are easy to convince. So people start with minimal effort, producing weak reasons (why the business idea is good or bad). Gail and Bob keep responding to each other's reasons with stronger reasons only until necessary. After reaching consensus further reasoning is not required. Source: [VIDEO]

@Leftium2024 · in “Ask HN: Why are comments here overwhelmingly critical?”

This interesting theory might help explain: reasoning is a social activity humans evolved to save time and cognitive load via division of labor. It requires negative feedback. 1. An individual's reasoning workload is reduced by forming a bias. The gaps left by this bias can be filled with others' reasoning. For example if Gail focuses on why a business idea is good and Bob focuses on why that same idea is bad, they reduced the total amount of reasoning required by 50%. 2. If strong reasons are always prepared for everything, effort is wasted when others are easy to convince. So people start with minimal effort, producing weak reasons (why the business idea is good or bad). Gail and Bob keep responding to each other's reasons with stronger reasons only until necessary. After reaching consensus further reasoning is not required. Source: [VIDEO]

@owenpalmer2024 · in “Learning to Reason with LLMs”

"The Future Of Reasoning" by Vsauce [0] is a fascinating pre-AI-era breakdown of how human reasoning works. Thinking about it in terms of LLMS is really interesting. [0]: [VIDEO]

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@purgedreality2024 · in “Ask HN: What's your favorite YouTube video, ever?”

Journey to the End of Time - [LINK] Veritasium on Thermite reaction - [LINK] Problems of a Shared Office - [LINK] History of the entire world, I guess - [LINK] Colin Furze Underground Activities - [LINK] Future of Reasoning - [VIDEO] Sex in Trek - [LINK]

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