Premises and Assumptions
Radical Thinking
Course - Subscriber Access Only
The most powerful way you can create radical new ideas is
to question the premises of existing ideas and the assumptions
you are making about everything. Routinely and honestly challenging
what you assume to be true is perhaps the most powerful kind
of thinking. Identifying those premises and assumptions is not
always as easy as you might think though. More on that in a moment.
First, we need to define our words.
A premise is "a statement assumed to be true and from
which a conclusion can be drawn; the basis of further argument;
a condition; a supposition." More formally in logic it is
defined as: "Either of the first two propositions of a syllogism,
from which the conclusion is drawn." For an example, the
premises "All men are mortal," and "Socrates is
a man," lead to the conclusion, "Socrates is mortal."
Note: Many philosophers would agree
with Ayn Rand that, "Contradictions do not exist. Whenever
you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises.
You will find that one of them is wrong." While this may
be true in the strictest sense, especially with mathematics,
it is only part of the story when it comes to words. More on
that in an upcoming lesson.
In at least one dictionary, assumption shares the exact same
definition as the first one for premise above. It is also, "something
taken for granted or accepted as true without proof; a supposition,"
and is defined as "The minor or second proposition in a
categorical syllogism." ("Socrates is a man").
I'll often use the words interchangeably, with one important
difference. Premise will normally refer to a basis for an argument,
idea or belief. An assumption, on the other hand, can be anything
we consciously or unconsciously presuppose. A concept of property
rights could be a premise for copyright law, for example, while
the idea that we have to register a copyright is just one of
many possible assumptions we make.
Challenge Those Assumptions!
Challenging assumptions is a great problem solving technique.
In fact, it get's it's own chapter in my ebook "Problem
Solving Power." It is also a great way to think of new ideas
in any area of life.
The first, and perhaps the hardest part of the process, is
to identify as many assumptions as you can. To show you what
I mean, I'll start with a scenario. You've written a book on
how to survive in the wild, and are having trouble finding a
publisher. You take out a a piece of paper and start to write
down a few of the assumptions you are making (I'll highlight
the assumptions).
Sending the manuscript to publishers myself is the best
way to go. Challenging this assumption, it occurs to you
that an agent could better promote your book to publishers. "I
need a publisher" is the next thing you write. Self-publishing
the book comes to mind. But thinking about promoting the book
yourself, you imagine just a few people buying a copy from you,
which doesn't thrill you.
However, you're watching carefully for assumptions, so you
notice that as you imagine self-publishing, you are assuming
the books will be bought one at a time by readers. You
ask, "How can I sell a thousand at a time?" You could
sell a short version of the book for a few dollars each, to backpacking
gear vendors. They can then give the book away as a bonus with
any purchase of a backpack or sleeping bag or tent. Minimum order:
1000 books.
Challenging the most fundamental things, including your definition
of the problem itself, often produces the most creative solutions.
With this in mind, you realize you've been thinking it will
be a printed book. It occurs to you that you might sell it
as an audio book, or sell it as an ebook online. Imagining the
latter, you worry about how to sell a lot of books online.
This is another assumption, you realize. Looking at the matter
more closely, you realize that if you only make about $1 on a
$19 printed book, while you can keep $16 or more of each sale
of a $19 ebook (if you generate traffic to your sales site
for free), meaning you can sell 1/16 the number and still
make as much money.
You need to sell it as a book. Is this true? What if
you sold it as a series of articles to an outdoor magazine. You
think about this and realize that although you might make less
money at first, you would gain name recognition and experience
for the next book.
You need to sell the book. Now, when you write this
down, your first reaction might be "Of course I need to
sell it! That's the whole point!" I can tell you though,
that anytime you have that kind of reaction, there is the possibility
for some really radical ideas.
As a matter of fact, I have been making money for years now
giving away books. Readers subscribe to an email autoresponder
and receive a mailing each week that directs them to the page
where the next part is hosted (similar to the way this course
works). The first time I tried this with a book that wasn't selling
well, I made more money on the advertising clicks and affiliate
product commissions than I had been making selling the book.
Believe me, the assumption that you have to sell a book to make
money with it has been effectively challenged and refuted.
Challenge Those Premises!
By the way, I wrote the above as it came to me. It is safe
to assume that given the same scenario, you would identify a
few different assumptions to challenge, and perhaps more if you
took more time. If you try it as a mental exercise, I imagine
that you will also generate some different creative ideas. The
same will be true of the following exercise in identifying and
challenging premises.
Issue: What other kinds of governments could we have?
As I consider the various political systems, I see that most
share the premise that it is right to control individuals
for the sake of "society" or the "public good."
You might want to question that one for some radical thoughts
on political philosophy. I have already challenged it many times
(I believe that governments should exist to protect the individual
from society), so I have to look for other premises if I want
some really new ideas.
The premise that government must be based on geography
just came to mind, and immediately my mind starts imagining a
political "system" one can subscribe to for a fee,
regardless of location. This "government" could provide
legal protection in the form of lawyers to defend subscribers
from the actions of geographically-based governments. It could
even provide police services (there are already more private
security officers than public police in the U.S.), and "courts"
to resolve civil and contractual disputes among members. Those
who didn't abide by it's rulings could have their "membership"
or "citizenship" revoked.
Questions suggest answers. Want more
answers? Ask more questions. Want better answers? Ask better
questions. - Steven Scott
A Simple Exercise
Think about each of the following three statements:
- You are designing a new kind of bicycle.
- Democracy is promoted as a moral system.
- Free markets caused our economic success.
By the way, recent research seriously challenges the latter
assumption. I may cover that in an upcoming lesson. In the meantime,
what premises and assumptions can you identify when pondering
any of the above statements? Write some down and see what ideas
come from challenging them.
And don't forget to follow the link in the mailing for your
free ebook. Until next time,
Steve
www.RadicalNewThoughts.com
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