Self-Knowledge

A few days ago Marc Andreessen made an outrageous claim that made the rounds on X. Introspection is a futile activity, he asserted. The less one engages in it, the more productive they would be. The rationale was that introspection would just lead one to doubt oneself, causing them to have second thoughts about their entrepreneurial ventures. If you want to build something, just don’t question yourself, act, and let the feedback come from external forces, market, clients, friends. ...

I recently read In Pursuit of the Perfect Portfolio by Andrew Lo and Stephen Foerster. The book starts by referencing the Japanese classic film Rashomon, which explores a murder as described from the perspective of different characters. The pursuit of the perfect portfolio took the authors down a fascinating path interviewing 10 of the most influential figures who transformed the field of finance. These figures developed new investment theories, frameworks, and models for a balanced and well-hedged portfolio. ...