“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”—Albert Einstein
HUNTER S. THOMPSON
Hunter S. Thompson is a journalist who rose from humble beginnings to write arguably the most astonishing discourses on culture and politics. His body of work solidified him as a true iconoclast of his time and a legendary writer. He’s hailed as the father of gonzo journalism, a deeply personal reporting style. This new style of journalism rubbed people the wrong way. Hunter explored the uncomfortable facets of American culture and exposed harsh truths of the human condition with bravery and depth.
His style smashed all notions of objective journalism. While every other journalist of his time reported their news from a safe distance, he placed himself at the center of the experience, mixing opinion with fact. He believed gonzo journalism was a much more honest and appropriate way to communicate. One of his most famous demonstrations of this style happened in the 1960’s when he spent a year living with the Hells Angels biker gang to write a first-hand account of their lifestyle. He masterfully blended facts with vivid imagery, symbolism, and metaphors to reel the readers into a world where they could see and feel what it was like to be a member of the gang. Since his time, gonzo journalism has become ubiquitous.
His creative philosophy was that journalism is an art where the artist and audience participate in a shared experience. To accomplish this, he expanded his mind by opening up his world. Experiencing the world, rather than just passively observing it, was something Hunter both preached and practiced. He taught us, “Every man is the sum total of his reactions to experiences. As your experiences differ and multiply, you become a different man, and hence your perspective changes. This goes on and on. Every reaction is a learning process; every significant experience alters your perspective.”
EPISTEMIC HUMILITY
Epistemic humility is the key to unlocking the mindset needed to expand your mind. The term “epistemic” refers to everything related to knowledge. As human beings, we need to be aware of our epistemic limitations. Having epistemic humility is remaining humble about everything you believe and know. It’s accepting that you don’t know a lot of things.
Being humble isn’t implying you’re uneducated. It’s accepting that you have limited knowledge of the world and, as a result, there’s no limit to your pursuit of knowledge.
No matter how hard you try, you will only know a thin slice of the sum total of knowledge. This could sound depressing, but it should fill you with wonder. Think about it. Isn’t it wonderful that there will always be a new creative path to explore, no matter how deep you create? With epistemic humility, every day is a new adventure ripe with possibilities. It reminds us that life has endless surprises around each corner if we open ourselves to it.
This means your potential is limitless. Given enough time, effort, and access to the right resources, you can become whoever you aspire to be. But it also means that there’s always the possibility that you’re missing a crucial puzzle piece—something you may or may not find out later in life.
The concept of epistemic humility is a reminder that it’s alright not to know everything. You can accept your ignorance without feeling smaller. Recognizing your ignorance is the first step toward learning more because if you assume you know everything, you’ll never pursue anything.
Limited minds create limited things, so free yourself from what you think you know. Develop into a lifelong learner that’s multi-directional and multi-developmental. Learn to look at ideas and problems from above, ahead, beyond, sideways, below, behind, within, and through. Remember, there’s something new around each corner.
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN
Acknowledging the limitations of our knowledge may open up possibilities of unpleasant surprises in our future. It’s a can of worms that most people avoid. Fear of the unknown can, and has, stopped many creative people from sailing beyond their shore of knowledge. However, there is a distinction between imagined fear and real danger.
In a scene from the movie After Earth, actor Will Smith beautifully separated imagined fear and real danger when he said, “Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not and may not ever exist. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.”