Scientific Definition
Assume the opposite of what you want to prove. Derive a contradiction. The opposite must be false.
Plain-English Definition
Assume the opposite of what you want to prove. Derive a contradiction. The opposite must be false.
Feynman Explanation
If your premise leads to absurdity, the premise — not the world — is what needs to bend.
Core Principle
Assume the opposite of what you want to prove. Derive a contradiction. The opposite must be false.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Assume the opposite of what you want to prove. Derive a contradiction. The opposite must be false.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Underused in strategy critique. 'If this scales, what does the world look like? Does that world make sense?'
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
If your premise leads to absurdity, the premise — not the world — is what needs to bend.
Examples
- Classic move from Zeno through contemporary analytic philosophy.
- Underused in strategy critique. 'If this scales, what does the world look like? Does that world make sense?'
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Stress-test conclusions by following the logic to its end. Where it breaks, the premise was wrong.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Stress-test conclusions by following the logic to its end. Where it breaks, the premise was wrong.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Whoever makes the positive claim carries the obligation to support it. Absence of disproof isn't proof.
Treating one kind of thing as if it belonged to a different ontological category.
Justified true belief isn't always knowledge — luck can produce true beliefs from defective reasoning.
You can't derive an 'ought' (value claim) from an 'is' (factual claim) without a smuggled premise.
If P then Q. P. Therefore Q. The most basic valid inference move in formal logic.
If P then Q. Not Q. Therefore not P. The logic behind every falsification test.
Necessary = required for X. Sufficient = enough on its own for X. Conflating them is a common error.
How will I feel about this in 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years?
Basics first (health/finances), then depth (mastery/impact), then altruism (widening circle).
A group decides on a course of action that nobody actually wants, because everyone assumes others prefer it.
Inattention or forgetfulness caused by low attention, hyperfocus, or distraction.
Deriving general rules from specific examples; the leap from instance to concept.