I've listened to this podcast at least once a year since I discovered it in 2019. It reignites something—my desire to work on the edge of what's mainstream, to build systems for thinking that most people don't bother with.
Josh Wolfe's conversation with Shane Parrish on The Knowledge Project is one of the few interviews that shows you what's actually happening in someone's head when they're processing information well.
Most problems don't get solved by knowing more facts. They get solved by building better distinctions—seeing what others miss, questioning what everyone assumes, holding contradictions without needing to resolve them immediately.
Wolfe's built a career on this at Lux Capital, finding opportunities where others see nothing.
The Fitzgerald, Twain, and Schopenhauer Framework
Wolfe's "information processing framework" is built around three questions:
Fitzgerald: Can you hold two opposing ideas simultaneously and still function?
Twain: What do you know for sure that just ain't so?
Schopenhauer: Talent hits targets no one else can hit. Genius hits targets no one else can see. Which are you aiming for?
They cut through fast when you're trying to figure out whether you're seeing something real or just seeing what you expect to see.
Why Fitzgerald matters
A lot of the time when someone's stuck, it's because they're trying to resolve a contradiction that doesn't need resolving yet. They want certainty when what they actually need is the ability to hold both things as true and keep moving.
You've had these rattling around in your head:
"We need to move fast" AND "We need to get this right"
"This person is highly competent" AND "This person is wrong for the role"
"I need to delegate more" AND "I'm the only one who can do this properly"
"Our current approach is working" AND "Our current approach won't scale"
"I trust this person's intentions" AND "I don't trust their judgment"
The instinct is to pick one or collapse them into a single answer. But holding both—actually functioning while they're both true—that's where the interesting work happens.
Wolfe also gets into evaluating expertise, structuring information, and why "what sucks?" often reveals more than "what works?" If you're trying to catch yourself before your mental models run the show, this will give you the tools.
Listen here: Inventing the Future with Josh Wolfe - The Knowledge Project