The moment you start dismissing things out of hand, intellectual ossification has set in–you have to actively fight the (easy and comforting) urge to stay in your own rut, all of your life.

And don’t get me started on groupthink in science fiction . . .

So if you hew to the Druidic worldview that we can’t escape the Malthusian trap with technology, go read some Drexler. If you’re of the opinion that government funding drives scientific or industrial innovation, go read some Romer (or if you’re strapped for time Warsh’s Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations is a good start). My point is that strength – be it intellectual or muscular – comes from frequent and rigorous exercise of the muscles in question. If you wish to improve your biking endurance, bike more frequently for increasingly longer periods.

If you seek to make an independent thinker of yourself, go forth and consider others ideas: simply reading their words is not enough – you must actually consider them as true (at least for a moment) and then ruminate on the implications. What if cutting taxes fueled growth? What if raising taxes gave the government the ability to pay for social programs? What if the quality of our patent system didn’t really matter (w/r/t growth and innovation) but only the fact that we have one and protect our patent-holders vigorously?

If you find yourself in an echo chamber, you might want to look for the door. If you cannot recognize the cages in your mind, of your own creation, then I have little hope that my words will affect you. Perhaps someone like Mencius Moldbug might.