“The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth” - Bohr
People trust proverbs. But proverbs contradict each other. Compare:
- “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”.
- “Many hands make light work” and “Too many cooks spoil the broth”.
- “Slow and steady wins the race” and “Time waits for no man”.
I think people are right to trust proverbs.
On one level, the proverbs in the above pairs do contradict one another. However, each proverb still shares something with their opposite, namely, their framing.
Both “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, frame situations as a question of risk attitudes. The second pair frames things as a question of cooperation. The third frames them as a question of patience1.
These questions are the actual point of proverbs.
Here’s another paradox:
- Good advice should be surprising.
- Proverbs are cliched.
- But proverbs are often good advice.
I like premises two and three, so I’m going the keep them. So I’ll give up premise one instead.
Most advice tries to give you new information. New information is surprising. So it seems like good advice must be surprising advice. This is wrong2.
It’s wrong because proverbs are not trying to give you new information. Hearing a proverb does not give you any new data about your situation. Instead, proverbs change the algorithm you use to process the data you already have.
Earlier, I said that proverbs like “Many hands make light work” frame your situation as a question of cooperation (or patience, or risk-attitudes). I also said that proverbs don’t give you data, they change your algorithm. These are two ways of saying the same thing.
Proverbs, when understood properly, make you ask certain questions. Both “Many hands make light work” and “Too many cooks spoil the broth” make you ask “Should I cooperate?” In this way, proverbs are tools for simplifying our thought. They quantize our decision making. Instead of weighing the EV of every possible action before you act, you just need to decide: Should I cooperate, or not? In making you answer this simpler question even contradictory proverbs can improve your decision-making algorithm.
This simplification sounds bad, but it’s actually good. It makes decisions more tractable. It focuses attention on what matters (like risk attitudes) rather than surface details (like a salesman’s pitch). It lets you draw on all your relevant experience - when you see an insurance choice as a question of risk tolerance, you can draw on every risky decision you’ve ever made, from poker games to career changes.3.
In short, proverbs may not give you and new data to make a decision with, but they can improve the algorithm you’re using to make that decision.
Proverbs are not the only kind of algorithm we disguise as data. Tarot and astrology have the same property. There’s no actual signal in what your birth sign is, or what cards come up in a reading. But these procedures do invoke certain archetypes which you are free to use if you please. Those who understand these as data will do worse for listening to them, those who understand them as algorithms can benefit. The stars are mute, but you can still answer their questions.
Footnotes
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This is one reason you should reverse any advice you hear. Reversing a piece of advice makes it clearer what practical considerations it presupposes as relevant. ↩
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It’s actually wrong for a few reasons, but most of those reasons are boring; e.g. humans are forgetful and akratic, so sometimes we need to be reminded of what we already know in order to act well. ↩
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Plausibly, this repeated recall and reflection should also make you form more consistent attitudes towards, risk, or cooperation, or whatever else, instead of being swayed by the particular details of your situation. ↩