Default Status

The USCB ecologist/economist Garrett Hardin once said that “The scientific mind is not closed: it is merely well-guarded by a conscientious and seldom sleeping gatekeeper.” The way it does that is with the concept of the default status: The “resting position” of common sense, whereby the burden of proof falls on assertions to the contrary. Given the problem of opportunity costs and limited time and energy, a default status is nearly always necessary to avoid wasting time. Examples include the laws of thermodynamics, the law of natural selection, and the incentive-caused bias.

Shane Parrish's Farnam Street Mental Model Guide