1 min read

"The more labels you apply to yourself, the stupider you become."

That's from Paul Graham

  • I'm a Vegetarian

  • I'm a Vegan

  • I’m a Carnivore

  • I’m an Entrepreneur

  • I'm a Christian

  • I'm a Muslim

  • I'm an Atheist

  • I'm a Democrat

  • I'm a Republican

  • I'm a Libertarian

  • I'm an Anarchist

  • I'm an Environmentalist

  • I'm a Feminist

  • I'm a Capitalist

  • I'm a Marxist

  • I'm an Existentialist

  • I’m a Pessimist

  • I’m an Optimist

  • I'm a Stoic

  • I'm a Romanticist

  • I'm a Minimalist

  • I'm a Humanist

  • I'm a Transhumanist

  • I'm a Traditionalist

  • I'm a Technologist

  • I'm a Humanitarian

  • I'm a Pacifist

  • I'm an Activist

  • I'm a Pragmatist

  • I'm an Idealist

  • I'm a Realist

  • I’m a Believer

  • I'm a Skeptic

Sound familiar?

This reductionism oversimplifies reality because the cognitive load of having to think is hard.

Labels can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, influencing people to conform to the expectations associated with that label.

Ditch the labels—you don’t need them. Take ideas piecemeal rather than subscribing to all or nothings.

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