Seek Advice from the Wise
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The phrase comes from the Shangshu, the Book of Documents, and urges rulers to consult broadly and to accept good counsel rather than persisting in their own judgment. Its premise is individual cognition has a horizon: any single mind has blind spots that no amount of reasoning from inside it will reveal, so the remedy is to import other viewpoints rather than to think harder alone. Zhuge Liang pressed the same advice on the young emperor in his memorial, and the model still describes what advisory boards and red teams are for.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Consult before deciding: bring in divergent views at the stage where they can still change the plan. - Ask specific questions: vague consultation produces comfort, specific questions produce usable information. - Adopt on evidence: take counsel that survives examination, and record why rejected counsel was set aside.
Anchor fast decisions
A decision made by one mind is bounded by that mind's information and assumptions, and its errors are invisible from the inside, because the same blind spot that caused them also hides them. Adding diverse observers multiplies the angles on the problem without multiplying the reasoning, so gaps get noticed that no single participant could have found. The gain is not the average of the advice but the coverage of the blind spots, which is why homogeneous panels add little while divergent ones add a lot.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B0%9A%E4%B9%A6verified
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