Hedgehogs and Foxes
There’s this famous 1953 idea called the Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin. It refers to how different people view the world . “The hedgehogs are more the big idea people, more decisive," while the foxes are more accepting of nuance, more open to using different approaches with different problems.” At first glance, it seems obvious that the foxes must be right, but in real life, hedgehogs are abundant (capitalism is the best system, everything boils down to physics, religious tolerance is the best course…). Why do so many people become hedgehogs? The most common reason is that when you start to understand or appreciate an idea or theme, it can become like that famous line in the movie Inception: “What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in ...