I'd like to pay this post a meta-compliment in its wise approach to giving advice in general.
As with a number of topics, Scott's already written the essay, but it's well worth remembering that advice is usually directional, and as such only beneficially applies to people who would improve by moving in the direction the advice suggests. "Be more cautious" is good advice for a reckless person, but bad advice for a compulsive neurotic. Also, per Scott's essay, "be more cautious" is advice that the neurotic person might take more to heart than the reckless person, serving neither well.
This post takes the next step and provides a thought-out rubric for identifying which side of the dichotomy a given reader falls upon, and therefore how to evaluate the choice presented on a case-by-case basis. Other than providing bespoke advice to someone you know well, I can't think of a better approach. Well done!
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I'd like to pay this post a meta-compliment in its wise approach to giving advice in general.
As with a number of topics, Scott's already written the essay, but it's well worth remembering that advice is usually directional, and as such only beneficially applies to people who would improve by moving in the direction the advice suggests. "Be more cautious" is good advice for a reckless person, but bad advice for a compulsive neurotic. Also, per Scott's essay, "be more cautious" is advice that the neurotic person might take more to heart than the reckless person, serving neither well.
This post takes the next step and provides a thought-out rubric for identifying which side of the dichotomy a given reader falls upon, and therefore how to evaluate the choice presented on a case-by-case basis. Other than providing bespoke advice to someone you know well, I can't think of a better approach. Well done!
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