I don't think it's good advice to tell people to "be more non-conformist". Better advice is don't *passively* conform. If you must conform, know that you are doing it because of benefits outweigh the costs. That way, if the cost-benefit ever changes, you can break from the herd.
In practice, this means that you should be concentrating your non-conformity into a few concentrated bets. In rationalist circles, this idea is known as "weirdness points". If you spend all your weirdness points on frivolous non-impactful things (like wearing weird clothes for no deep aestetique reason), then when you want to advocate on behalf of a weird but important idea, no one will take you seriously.
Bryan is definitely a non-conformist, but I think he overlooks (or at least downplays) the many ways in which he conforms implicitly. Despite his wonky libertarian views, he still has a high-status white collar job (college professor) with all the attendant educational credentials (Berkeley undergrad; Princeton PhD). Despite the quirky blogging/Substacking, he still publishes academic books that adhere to professional norms. Despite advocating for fringe ideas like pro-natalism, the lifestyle that he recommends to others (and that he lives by himself) is ultimately the bog-standard suburban family life that your parents preached to you.
In a sufficiently unmoored world, the only true rebellion left is orthodoxy!
I agree with your point about distinguishing passive from active conformism. I would also add a distinction between contrarianism (a general assumption that the majority is *wrong*) and true non-conformism (which recognizes that the majority could be right or wrong on any given question; one must carefully weigh the evidence).
Also, non-conformism is high-variance. I can certainly believe that the most successful people in the world are non-conformist. However, I would also bet that many of the least successful people (e.g. convicts) are likewise non-conformist. If only people really had reliable readings on how smart and competent they are relative to average... (Non-conformism works a lot better if you are smart and at least somewhat conscientious.)
I wonder if Bryan would consider doing something in the style of Tyler Cowen's GOAT project?
If as you say the primary benefit of the book is the curation, this seems like something current AI will do well, but will be more flexible to create over topics of the reader's choosing, and then to further interrogate the source material.
Not that I want to deny Bryan some money of course!
Bryan’s work has had an incredible impact on my thinking. My substack is laced with how I have navigated life as a military officer as a semi non-conformist (I know it sounds like a contradiction!)
I don't think it's good advice to tell people to "be more non-conformist". Better advice is don't *passively* conform. If you must conform, know that you are doing it because of benefits outweigh the costs. That way, if the cost-benefit ever changes, you can break from the herd.
In practice, this means that you should be concentrating your non-conformity into a few concentrated bets. In rationalist circles, this idea is known as "weirdness points". If you spend all your weirdness points on frivolous non-impactful things (like wearing weird clothes for no deep aestetique reason), then when you want to advocate on behalf of a weird but important idea, no one will take you seriously.
Bryan is definitely a non-conformist, but I think he overlooks (or at least downplays) the many ways in which he conforms implicitly. Despite his wonky libertarian views, he still has a high-status white collar job (college professor) with all the attendant educational credentials (Berkeley undergrad; Princeton PhD). Despite the quirky blogging/Substacking, he still publishes academic books that adhere to professional norms. Despite advocating for fringe ideas like pro-natalism, the lifestyle that he recommends to others (and that he lives by himself) is ultimately the bog-standard suburban family life that your parents preached to you.
In a sufficiently unmoored world, the only true rebellion left is orthodoxy!
I agree with your point about distinguishing passive from active conformism. I would also add a distinction between contrarianism (a general assumption that the majority is *wrong*) and true non-conformism (which recognizes that the majority could be right or wrong on any given question; one must carefully weigh the evidence).
Also, non-conformism is high-variance. I can certainly believe that the most successful people in the world are non-conformist. However, I would also bet that many of the least successful people (e.g. convicts) are likewise non-conformist. If only people really had reliable readings on how smart and competent they are relative to average... (Non-conformism works a lot better if you are smart and at least somewhat conscientious.)
I might get this just to enjoy a big name reinforcing my own post-tribal, non-conformist instincts.
I think very highly of Bryan, but the "appeal to authority" of citing the founder of Major League Pickleball to promote the book made me laugh a bit.
But thinking that's wrong is exactly what a conformist would think 😉
This is the type of advice that backfires exactly 50% of the time.
I wonder if Bryan would consider doing something in the style of Tyler Cowen's GOAT project?
If as you say the primary benefit of the book is the curation, this seems like something current AI will do well, but will be more flexible to create over topics of the reader's choosing, and then to further interrogate the source material.
Not that I want to deny Bryan some money of course!
Bryan’s work has had an incredible impact on my thinking. My substack is laced with how I have navigated life as a military officer as a semi non-conformist (I know it sounds like a contradiction!)
There be a Kindle or audio version?
Paperback and Kindle, when you follow the link.
Amazon only shows the paperback. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=you+will+not+stampede+me
Will there be?
Two years!? It's hard to wait...
Happy New Year!