We need to learn to work with political systems that are not perfect instead of taking the view: let's first fix the politics, then we'll fix the rest.
Abhijit BanerjeeRead
I mean, I think it's a two-way relationship: I think you should not have too much faith in your own rationality. You should not have too much faith in the rationality of, you know, anybody else either. We all learn together about the way the world is, and I think it's a sort of antidote to wishful thinking of all kinds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Recognizing the limits of our rationality helps us understand the world better and prevents us from falling into wishful thinking.
In this quote, Abhijit Banerjee emphasizes the importance of humility regarding our own understanding and rationality, suggesting that we should be cautious not to overestimate our ability to reason correctly or judge others' reasoning processes. By acknowledging that everyone is learning together, we cultivate a more realistic perspective on the complexities of the world and counteract the dangers of wishful thinking that can distort our views.
Themes
RationalityLearningHumilityWishful ThinkingUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about decision-making processes, this quote can highlight the importance of considering multiple perspectives.
More from Abhijit Banerjee
All quotes →Here is an entirely banal idea that I think has the potential to change the world: Take evidence seriously. Taking evidence seriously does not mean privileging numbers over all other forms of knowledge - theories, narratives, images. Nor does it mean the kind of radical skepticism that questions everything to the point where no action is possible.
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In the development business doing something for both women and the environment is the equivalent of holding a royal flush in poker.
Abhijit BanerjeeRead
One problem with globalisation is that bad ideas seem to travel faster than good ones; first there was smearing tomato ketchup on everything; then drinking sugar-soaked cocktails ('Cosmo'-politanism) instead of our traditional whisky soda, and now this idea that we should abandon the poor to their fate in order to protect their dignity.
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Will we make all poverty history? No. But can we solve some of these extreme and egregious forms of poverty? I think yes, and we should.
Abhijit BanerjeeRead
The Korean government is the first to declare that if you replace people with machines you have to pay a tax. It's a tax on robots. They make private companies internalise the social cost of unemployment. Social benefit is not the same as private benefit. We have to realise this.
Abhijit BanerjeeRead
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