#011 Eric Jorgenson: Metagames, Feedback Loops and Transcending The Muggle World

Just me and you today, dear listener -- and I’m going to talk through some ideas that have been fascinating me recently, weaving together authors like Rory Sutherland, Eliezer Yudkowsky, and Nassim Taleb. As I reviewed my highlights from books, blogs and articles that I’ve been collecting over the past 10 years the main ideas that jumped out at me are playing the metagame and feedback loops. Both of these are ways to transcend the muggle world and start playing a different game. 
I hope you enjoy this format -- if you love it (or hate it, actually), please tweet or email me so I know whether to ever do this again. It’s all part of the sandbox experience! 
Additional resources to help enrich your experience below:
Topics Covered: 

What are Metagames

How Metagames change the game and allow you to dominate

What are feedback loops

Why we accept false barriers to cushion our egos

Places to intervene in a system

The power of transcending paradigms

How a system can be destroyed by ignoring feedback

How to expand your theoretical fish tank

 
Favorite Quotes:
“In any system where there are norms, there are strengths and weaknesses to those norms. If you follow the norms of the system, the results you get are likely to be the norm. When you play a different game, a metagame, you have the opportunity to outperform.” -fs.blog
“Play the metagame in your domain too, whether you’re head of an organization or just starting out. Blowout the walls of your fish tank and transcend paradigms.” - Eric Jorgenson
“False barriers are accepted because they are the path of least resistance for the ego” -Eric Jorgenson
 
 Additional Resources:

Alchemy Rory Sutherland

Moneyball Michael Lewis

Inadequate Equilibria Eliezer Yudkowsky

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Systemantics. The Systems Bible John Gall and D.H. Gall

User Friendly Cliff Kuang

Structures J. E. Gordon

Mike Barton Runs England’s Best Police Force. What Sets Him Apart?

Readwise

Eric Jorgenson Newsletter

Eric Jorgenson Leverage Course 

 
Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Codie Sanchez: Learning Leverage From Drug Cartels, Vanguard, And Goldman Sachs

Sky King: The Next Level of the Internet, Decentralization, and Becoming a Player in the Game of Life

 
Huge thanks to Modern Stoa (modernstoa.co) for their help on creating and growing this very podcast you’re listening to now. If you need help with podcast growth or monetization, go to modernstoa.co or hit the founder up on Twitter (@consumersky) or Instagram (@iamaskyking).   
If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 
>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 
>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 
>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 
>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 
>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson
>> Follow @FirstsFamous on Twitter 
>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 
I appreciate your support! 

Just me and you today, dear listener -- and I’m going to talk through some ideas that have been fascinating me recently, weaving together authors like Rory Sutherland, Eliezer Yudkowsky, and Nassim Taleb. As I reviewed my highlights from books, blogs and articles that I’ve been collecting over the past 10 years the main ideas that jumped out at me are playing the metagame and feedback loops. Both of these are ways to transcend the muggle world and start playing a different game. 

I hope you enjoy this format -- if you love it (or hate it, actually), please tweet or email me so I know whether to ever do this again. It’s all part of the sandbox experience! 

Additional resources to help enrich your experience below:

Topics Covered: 

What are Metagames
How Metagames change the game and allow you to dominate
What are feedback loops
Why we accept false barriers to cushion our egos
Places to intervene in a system
The power of transcending paradigms
How a system can be destroyed by ignoring feedback
How to expand your theoretical fish tank

 

Favorite Quotes:

“In any system where there are norms, there are strengths and weaknesses to those norms. If you follow the norms of the system, the results you get are likely to be the norm. When you play a different game, a metagame, you have the opportunity to outperform.” -fs.blog

“Play the metagame in your domain too, whether you’re head of an organization or just starting out. Blowout the walls of your fish tank and transcend paradigms.” - Eric Jorgenson

“False barriers are accepted because they are the path of least resistance for the ego” -Eric Jorgenson

 

 Additional Resources:

Alchemy Rory Sutherland
Moneyball Michael Lewis
Inadequate Equilibria Eliezer Yudkowsky
Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Systemantics. The Systems Bible John Gall and D.H. Gall
User Friendly Cliff Kuang
Structures J. E. Gordon
Mike Barton Runs England’s Best Police Force. What Sets Him Apart?
Readwise
Eric Jorgenson Newsletter
Eric Jorgenson Leverage Course 

 

Additional Episodes If You Enjoyed:

Codie Sanchez: Learning Leverage From Drug Cartels, Vanguard, And Goldman Sachs
Sky King: The Next Level of the Internet, Decentralization, and Becoming a Player in the Game of Life

 

Huge thanks to Modern Stoa (modernstoa.co) for their help on creating and growing this very podcast you’re listening to now. If you need help with podcast growth or monetization, go to modernstoa.co or hit the founder up on Twitter (@consumersky) or Instagram (@iamaskyking).   

If you want to support the podcast, here are a few ways you can: 

>> Buy a copy of the Navalmanak: www.navalmanack.com/ 

>> Share the podcast with your friends and on social media 

>> Give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners 

>> Make a weekly, monthly, or one-time donation: https://app.omella.com/o/9Bufa 

>> Follow me on Twitter: @ericjorgenson

>> Follow @FirstsFamous on Twitter 

>> Learn more and sign up for the “Building a Mountain of Levers” course and community: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage 

I appreciate your support!