Is Anything Actually New?
Or are we just proving old ideas with new numbers
It seems like anything we discover in social sciences to be both true and useful was already said by leaders and philosophers in every past generation.
In the book Influence, Dr. Robert Cialdini outlines the seven principles of persuasion he discovered in his academic studies. He went on to publish two more books on persuasion and all three were bestsellers (whatever that means nowadays).
One major principle he discusses is “liking”, meaning we are more likely to be influenced by people we like. But the more interesting part is that we are also more likely to like someone who we think likes us.
If you’ve ever been to a Middle Eastern souk (market), it’s obvious the shopkeepers know this principle already. They rush up to each person showing a little interest, tell them they have great taste and always use the familiar “my friend”.
Did they all read Cialdini’s groundbreaking books? Maybe. More likely though is that this knowledge has been passed down generation to generation for thousands of years. Except instead of being tested by numbers, it was tested by usefulness overtime.
2000 years ago Publius Syrus said,
“We are interested in others when they are interested in us” (Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, 16)
There are many similar proverbs and sayings throughout history. The ideas that are repeated generation after generation have withstood the test of time.
And if you look at all the billions of people who have lived and the millions of ideas each one has had, as a species, we’ve thought almost every conceivable thought. Is it even possible today to have a new scientific breakthrough outside of the hard sciences?
This is all a long-winded way to say, read old books. An old book that’s still in print has survived this long for a reason.
New food. Old ideas.
Question of The Day
If you could only read one book over and over for the rest of your life, what book would you choose?
Your Friend,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski