Why did Naval mention 'learn to think for yourself'?

Hello there! That's an excellent question—you've really grasped the "backbone" of Naval Ravikant's thinking. I've followed Naval for a long time, and he repeatedly emphasizes "independent thinking." It might sound like a platitude, but when you consider his life experiences and the current world, you'll see it's the cornerstone of nearly all his wisdom.

Below, I'll explain my perspective in plain language, using a few easily understandable angles.

Why Does Naval Place Such Importance on "Independent Thinking"?

Simply put, because in Naval's view, independent thinking is the only path to wealth, happiness, and freedom. If you don't think independently, you'll just go with the flow, and the path the "mainstream" follows usually leads to mediocrity, anxiety, and exploitation.

We can understand this from several levels:

1. To See the Truth, Not Just Follow the Crowd's Mistakes

Mass consensus is often delayed or simply wrong.

For example:
During an investment bubble, almost everyone shouts, "Charge! Buy now or miss out!" At this point, emotions and opinions are highly uniform—that's "consensus." But an independent thinker pauses to ask:

What is this thing's actual value?
Why is it rising so fast? Has the fundamental value changed, or is it pure hype?
If I jump in now, how much risk am I taking?

You see, independent thinking isn't about being contrarian for its own sake. It's about cutting through the fog of emotion and noise to find the facts and probabilities. History shows us, whether it's Tulip Mania or the 2000 Internet Bubble, those who survived or even profited were the independent thinkers courageous enough to question mainstream consensus.

The same principle applies to social trends, career choices, life paths... everything. When everyone rushes to take the civil service exam, an independent thinker asks: "Is this path right for me? Do my strengths lie here? What will the world look like in five years?"

2. To Find Your Own "Gold Mine"

Naval has a core concept called "Specific Knowledge"—unique skills that can't be easily taught and are built only through your own curiosity and practical experience.

If you think the same as everyone else, you cannot possess "Specific Knowledge."

Imagine everyone has the same treasure map. The result? Crowds fighting over scraps, maybe getting a few specks of gold dust.

What does the independent thinker do? They study geology, climate, historical records themselves, and draw their own treasure map. This map might lead somewhere desolate, but once they find it, the entire gold mine belongs to them alone.

This "gold mine" is what Naval calls Leverage. Your unique insights, the products you develop, the brand you create... these are the products of your independent thinking. They bring you disproportionate rewards. If you only mimic others, you'll forever be an employee, earning linear, hourly wages.

3. It's the Only "Firewall" Against Modern Information Noise

We live in an era of information overload. Your phone lights up, and countless apps, influencers, and short videos vie for your attention, trying to feed you opinions:

"You're washed up if you don't do X by 30"
"Master these three tricks to double your EQ!"
"Celebrity scandal alert! Come get the gossip!"

Without the ability to think independently, your brain becomes like a public restroom—flooded with information and emotions passing through, leaving behind only anxiety, envy, and chaos.

Independent thinking is your brain's firewall and antivirus software.

It filters out 99% of the junk, letting you focus on what truly matters. You realize most news isn't relevant to you, and most opinions are just emotional outbursts. You start proactively choosing your information sources instead of being force-fed.

4. It's the Essential Path to Inner Peace and Happiness

Many people are unhappy because they live according to other people's value systems.

Someone chases wealth constantly because others equate it with status, yet they don't know what they want.
Someone rushes into marriage and kids at a certain age because it's seen as the norm, yet they feel no love.
Someone obsessively compares themselves to curated images of travel and food on social media, feeling only exhaustion.

Independent thinking means building your own value system.

What is happiness? For you, it might not be luxury cars and watches, but having an hour of quiet reading time every afternoon.
What is Success? For you, it might not be becoming CEO, but creating a small, beautiful product with a loyal user base.

When you define your own rules and play by them, you break free from external pressures and achieve true inner peace. You no longer need to prove anything to anyone; you are your own judge.

How Can Ordinary People "Practice" Independent Thinking?

Naval also offers practical advice, which I'll summarize:

Read More "Old Books" and Foundational Subjects: Consume less news and social media. Read time-tested classics—philosophy, mathematics, physics, evolutionary biology. These foundational fields teach you "how to think"—the "first principles" of problem-solving.
Carve Out Time for Solitude and Daydreaming: Thinking requires space. If you're constantly bombarded by information, your brain has no room to process and connect ideas. Walking, meditating, or simply sitting without purpose are high-quality thinking times.
Practice Building Your Views From Scratch: Next time a hot topic arises, don't rush to pick a side. Like building with blocks, start from the basic facts and derive your own conclusion step-by-step. Ask: "What evidence supports this? What if the premise is wrong?"
Stay Open and Skeptical of Your Own Views: A true independent thinker isn't a stubborn contrarian. They welcome new evidence that challenges or even overturns their previous conclusions. Admitting "I might be wrong" is the beginning of wisdom.

In short, Naval emphasizes independent thinking not to turn you into a cynical contrarian. On the contrary, he hopes that through clear thinking, you can cast off constraints, find the path truly suited to you, and ultimately live a more abundant, free, and happier life.