#36) The Chinese Room and Subconsciousness

Hello, and welcome to "Always Be Better" with Mel Windham.

Do you ever wonder how some people get to be so smart? Well, today I'm going to introduce two simple tricks I've used throughout my whole life with much success, and chances are, you may already be using these tools without realizing.

First off is what is commonly called the Chinese Room. Back in the 80's, a philosopher named John Searle introduced this idea.

Imagine a room full of people. The door is shut, and all they have inside is paper, pencils, and a very large instruction book. None of the people can speak Chinese, but they can follow instructions. 

Outside the room, a Chinese speaker can write a sentence on a piece of paper, and pass it through a slot. Then the people inside can follow the instructions in the large book to produce a response.

Now, these instructions don't teach how to read Chinese, but rather, they are step-by-step instructions on how to process the inputs in order to produce a convincing output. When the person outside receives the response, she'll think she's having a conversation, while the people inside have no idea what was said. They were only following instructions.

Even before I learned this concept in high school, I was already using Chinese Rooms in almost everything. I had learned, in fact, it's probably my number one trick in being "smart."

By the age of four, I had learned logic, predicate calculus, set theory, multiple-digit arithmetic, basic astronomy facts, and so on. I don't think it was because I was particularly smart, but rather, I had a very good teacher -- my father was adept in giving excellent instructions. I was too young to understand why these things worked, or how I could apply them in my life, but I knew how to follow instructions and solve problems.

So, I learned young: why expend so much energy trying to understand every last detail, when the instructions, themselves, are easy to follow? Life is short -- just follow the instructions, save time, and move on to other fun things.

Many times I've heard in class someone say, "When am I ever going to use this?" As soon as someone asks that question, they're already behind. Back in high school, I knew those were the guys who would be paying me to do those things for them. So -- how do I do so well at work? (whisper) Chinese Room.

I know -- this may sound a little circular -- could it be I'm good at this tactic only because I really am smart? Maybe, but I don't think so. As I worked in different math labs, and tutoring -- I've seen F, D, and C students turn around as soon as they see and accept the simple instructions. And if they could do it, we can all do it.

And then there's my second tactic -- using the subconscious mind. We're all used to thinking consciously -- that is, we deliberately think and reason -- right here [tap front of head]. But how many times have you thought on something for hours and hours until your brain gets fried? It happens to me all the time.

You see, the conscious mind takes energy on our part -- we control the thinking, we make decisions, we work things out -- and with overuse, it's very easy to get tired.

The subconscious mind, on the other hand, does its own thing. We don't control it, but it's always going on in the background. I don't think it ever turns off. It listens to everything going on around us -- it processes, and does whatever it wants. Its communications back to us are a lot more garbled or abstract -- likely to come to us as dreams, inspiration, random thoughts, and so on.

There is no way to control it, but I've learned that I can throw things at it, and trust it to do its job. Almost always, I'll eventually get an answer back.

At work, when I'm asked to write complicated code, I almost never start writing on the spot. Rather, I may do some quick brainstorming, and then say: subconscious -- it's your turn. And then I go do something else -- something completely different. The next day when I get back to it, I'll already have a solution -- almost always a simpler one.

So, the trick? After doing some initial worrying or thinking -- just walk away from it and let the subconscious go at it. If we trust it enough, it will give us answers when we come back to it. Or maybe it'll come in a dream, or hit us while we're showering.

These two tactics I've shared have one thing in common: don't fight it -- don't waste energy -- enjoy life.

We can follow the instructions, reap the benefits, give our problems to our subconscious mind, and succeed.

So, why not give it a try? Chinese Room, and the subconscious mind. You may surprise yourselves with the results.

And don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll continue on in this video series, looking for other tips and tricks to help us live better lives. Next week we'll discuss logical fallacies. 

Thank you for watching, and I'll see you soon, here on "Always Be Better."