Choosing axiom Pt2

Counter Argument to Agrippa’s Trilemma

So, if nothing can be proved and everything is just a paradox to any question, then why question at all? This is what bothered me once I learned about Agrippa's trilemma. Should we just accept everything we hear and believe anything that comes our way? Obviously not, because that defeats the purpose of who we are. We are what we believe, and if anything opposes our beliefs, we are either disappointed or start to question everything. This happens to me a lot in the design profession. Many times, the assumptions I made about user experience based on my beliefs are apparently wrong according to another business or product person.

According to Pyrrhonian skepticism, “The fundamental principle of the skeptical system is especially this, namely, to oppose every argument by one of equal weight, for it seems to us that in this way we finally reach the position where we have no dogmas.” So, it’s always better to question something than just leave it saying, “I don’t know anything.” It’s a state where we know enough to make a decision that is agreeable to both parties' belief systems. Therefore, our design work is never objective, and that’s why it’s iterative in nature.

There’s not enough good design in whatever you see around you. Always question why something is the way it is. It’s not about being willfully uninformed but an attempt to be hyper-informed or informed in a certain way. To be a Pyrrhonian skeptic, you must try to be informed on many sides of an issue. If you find yourself getting lost in one side, snap yourself out of it by trying to consider the other side’s best case. It’s better to be free of beliefs when you are trying to design objectively.

There’s a Buddhist belief called ataraxia, which means attaining a sense of serene calmness.

Recently, when I joined my new organization, I requested a MacBook. A fellow colleague saw me using it and thought I was using my personal laptop because it’s uncommon to see a Mac in the organization where everyone is given a Windows laptop. I argued how we need Macs to design, unknowingly that the guy himself is an experienced ML engineer and has probably run into all sorts of heavy-loaded software. Although I ended the conversation by saying Mac has a good and easy-to-use interface, I wonder if I was just conforming to my designer bias. Before I got the MacBook, I was given a Windows laptop that is much cheaper than the Mac, and I had nearly no issues using design tools on it.

Like in Agrippa’s trilemma, my axiom was that Apple devices have better user experiences and are intuitive to use. But this scenario also reminded me of my younger self, who thought Apple users were just rich and didn’t have any objective reason for liking those devices. I found myself in a similar position now, just that now I think Mac is better than Windows. Is it objectively true, or am I just accustomed to it, and the learning curve is just supporting my arguments?

According to the psychology theory confirmation bias that says even the best of us, when we believe in something, tend to look for evidence that confirms our bias rather than refutes it. I’m looking more about the ‘for’ arguments and not the ‘against’ arguments because refuting those against arguments requires effort. Beliefs make our identity; disbelief can make us question our identity. It’s hard and puts us in a state of existential crisis. This is what we all experience when moving to a big city or to a new organization. We are all trying to preserve our sense of identity, including our beliefs, as we move forward.

Disproving our beliefs requires hard work, but doing so mindfully with a shared objective with the person you are arguing with will let you cross these hurdles in life and work. So, always be ready to challenge your axiom, whether it’s that users are the primary objective, the product is the hero, or business is important. What seems true today can be false tomorrow. This means belief shouldn’t be about ‘what is the case’ but rather ‘what seems to be the case.’ Judgement is always crucial when you’re making decisions that alter the lives of your users, the direction of your product, or the profits of your business.