Intuition Pumps: Philosopher Daniel Dennett on the Dignity of Being Wrong and Art-Science of Making Fertile Mistakes

It's been a while since I visited Brain Pickings. I've been on a myth-busting kick recently; challenging assumptions and other bits of "conventional wisdom" we uncritically take for granted as true. The more you have to admit you're wrong, and recalibrate your thinking, the better.

We have all heard the forlorn refrain “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!” This phrase has come to stand for the rueful reflection of an idiot, a sign of stupidity, but in fact we should appreciate it as a pillar of wisdom. Any being, any agent, who can truly say, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!” is standing on the threshold of brilliance.

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