Ashutosh Nilkanth’s Blog

Do the opposite

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Jerry once gave a nifty piece of advice to George. He said …

If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.

It seems to be a new idea for anyone to follow the opposite of their instincts. I have come to believe that its coherent, just that we are too appalled to take the risk - a step in the other direction, maybe the opposite direction. Maybe that’s probable. When there are just two sides to a coin, the simplicity of the decision becomes complex. Relatively, the Theory of Probability is a representation of probabilistic concepts in formal terms — that is, in terms that can be considered separately from their meaning. And a significant application of probability theory to everyday life is that of risk assessment. Keep the problem and the meaning separate, and you will derive the wrong instinct to do the right thing.

By the way, the reference to Jerry and George came from the Seinfeld TV show (from the episode: The Opposite). Atleast it worked well for George …

George comes to the realization that he should try to do the opposite of everything, so he does, his luck changes and everything begins to go his way including getting a girlfriend, a job with the Yankees and moving out of his parents’ house.