A few months ago, I wrote an article discussing a topic: "Information quality determines decision quality." Every decision we make is based on our "cognition" - the information we've already acquired. The quality of this information directly determines what we choose to do and whether we can succeed. I want to explore this topic further.
The Inequality of Information Distribution
Wealth inequality in this world is merely a surface-level outcome. The root causes are the unequal distribution of information and the cognitive differences that form based on the information each person possesses.
The inequality of information distribution manifests most clearly in educational resources. Take an extreme example: elite children in Beijing's Haidian district achieve IELTS scores of 7.0 by sixth grade and have already completed multiple study abroad trips. Meanwhile, children from remote mountains in Guizhou might graduate from university still unable to speak fluent English.
Fortunately, the rapid development of technology and social media is gradually bridging this information gap between ordinary people and the wealthy.
Everyone has the right to learn, but we cannot deny that the cognition, vision, and insights people ultimately develop are entirely different. It's like modern large language models - what ultimately determines a model's quality is the data. The quality of training data directly affects the model's final performance. The human brain is essentially an experiential model too, using past learning and knowledge to guide future decisions and actions.
Cognition: Your World Model
"Cognition" is simply the "world model" in each person's mind - your understanding of how the world operates. Zhang Yiming once said:
"Your understanding of something is your competitive advantage in that area. Other factors of production can be built, but only when your cognition of something becomes deeper do you become more competitive."
Education can change this. I remember a slogan at my middle school: "Knowledge changes destiny, education leads the future." Looking back now, this statement is profoundly correct.
The Terror of the Unknown
The hardest thing in this world is the "unknown." If you know how to do something, you'll naturally find it easier than someone who has never done it before. This sounds obvious. But what's truly terrifying isn't "not knowing how to do something" - it's "not even knowing that something exists."
The elite child in Haidian has an IELTS 7.0 by sixth grade. The child who never left the mountains of Guizhou might never have heard the word "IELTS" in their entire life.
Zhao Chaoyang once publicly discussed how to overcome procrastination: "When you're about to do anything, first run through it in your mind. Procrastination is essentially your internal resistance to something - you think it's complex and difficult. Once you've figured out a solution in your head, procrastination naturally resolves itself." This "complex and difficult" feeling is really your brain's fear of the unknown.
Choice Matters More Than Effort
Recently, phrases like "choice matters more than effort" and "physical diligence cannot compensate for mental laziness" have become popular. Is it that people don't want to think? For ordinary people, information comes from a limited set of sources: recommendations from friends, family, and mentors around them.
What truly determines a young person's future development comes at moments when no one is there to teach them what to do next. They might see peers entering big tech companies, preparing for civil service exams, going abroad to study, or starting businesses. All paths seem possible. But which one is right for them?
Deep Thinking Forms Cognition
Cognition comes from deep thinking about the information you've acquired. Other factors of production - time, capital, talent - can all be sourced with help from others. But your insight into the market and your understanding of what you're building? No one can substitute for that.
The deeper your cognition in your domain, the more you become a leader who can set a roadmap and vision for your team, unite people around a shared belief that you can make this happen.
When Information Is Asymmetric, Communication Breaks Down
A few days ago, I attended an event in Beijing. At the cocktail reception, we were randomly seated with some strangers at a table.
There's an information gap between people. When you're not in the same context, you simply cannot communicate. For meaningful exchange, both parties need different perspectives on the same topic - that's what makes conversation flow. But if you're discussing something the other person has never heard of, let alone has opinions about, the conversation dies. One-way transmission of ideas is meaningless. Communication requires shared context.
My Recommendations
1. Expand the Breadth of Your Knowledge
Continuously expand your "world model." Keep learning. Actively try new things. Life itself is a journey - use these few decades to explore as much as possible.
2. Deepen Your Expertise
In your professional domain, keep drilling deeper. Breadth gives you options; depth gives you competitive advantage.
3. Befriend People in Finance
From my observation, people in finance process massive amounts of information daily - filtering, categorizing, analyzing. Their average work intensity is no less than tech. They often have unique perspectives on information flow.
4. Information Has a Shelf Life
Information known in advance has meaning. Information about what's happening now or what already happened is far less valuable. The earlier you know, the more you can act on it.
5. Cognition Comes from Deep Thinking
Don't just consume information - process it. Your cognition emerges from deep thinking about the information you've gathered, not from the information itself.
Closing Thought
Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, once wrote on his blog:
"The biggest competitive advantage - for both companies and individuals - is long-term thinking, with a broad perspective on how different systems in the world actually work."
Build your world model. Think deeply. And remember: the quality of your decisions will never exceed the quality of your information.
几个月前，我写了一篇文章讨论一个话题："信息质量决定决策质量。" 我们做的每一个决定都基于我们的"认知"——我们已经获得的信息。这些信息的质量直接决定了我们选择做什么以及是否能成功。我想进一步探讨这个话题。
信息分配的不平等
这个世界上的财富不平等只是表面现象。根本原因是信息分配的不平等和基于每个人拥有的信息形成的认知差异。
信息分配的不平等在教育资源上表现得最为明显。举个极端的例子：北京海淀区的精英孩子在六年级就能达到雅思 7.0 分，已经完成了多次海外游学。而来自贵州偏远山区的孩子可能大学毕业后仍然无法流利地说英语。
幸运的是，技术和社交媒体的快速发展正在逐渐弥合普通人和富人之间的信息鸿沟。
每个人都有学习的权利，但我们不能否认，人们最终形成的认知、视野和洞察力是完全不同的。这就像现代大语言模型——最终决定模型质量的是数据。训练数据的质量直接影响模型的最终性能。人脑本质上也是一个经验模型，使用过去的学习和知识来指导未来的决策和行动。
认知：你的世界模型
"认知"就是每个人脑海中的"世界模型"——你对世界如何运作的理解。张一鸣曾说：
"你对某件事的理解就是你在那个领域的竞争优势。其他生产要素都可以构建，但只有当你对某件事的认知变得更深时，你才会变得更有竞争力。"
教育可以改变这一点。我记得我中学时的一句标语："知识改变命运，教育引领未来。" 现在回想起来，这句话非常正确。
未知的恐惧
这个世界上最难的事情是"未知"。如果你知道如何做某事，你自然会比从未做过的人觉得更容易。这听起来很明显。但真正可怕的不是"不知道如何做某事"——而是**"甚至不知道某事的存在"**。
海淀的精英孩子六年级就有雅思 7.0。从未离开过贵州山区的孩子可能一辈子都没听过"雅思"这个词。
赵超阳曾公开讨论如何克服拖延症："当你要做任何事情时，先在脑子里过一遍。拖延本质上是你对某事的内心抵触——你认为它复杂困难。一旦你在脑子里想出了解决方案，拖延自然就消失了。" 这种"复杂困难"的感觉实际上是你大脑对未知的恐惧。
选择比努力更重要
最近，"选择比努力更重要"和"身体的勤奋无法弥补思想的懒惰"这样的话很流行。是人们不想思考吗？对于普通人来说，信息来自有限的来源：身边朋友、家人和导师的推荐。
真正决定年轻人未来发展的，是在没有人教他们下一步该做什么的时刻。他们可能看到同龄人进入大厂、准备公务员考试、出国留学或创业。所有道路似乎都可行。但哪一条适合他们？
深度思考形成认知
认知来自对你获得的信息的深度思考。其他生产要素——时间、资本、人才——都可以在他人的帮助下获得。但你对市场的洞察和对你正在构建的东西的理解？没有人能替代。
你在领域内的认知越深，你就越能成为一个领导者，能够为团队设定路线图和愿景，将人们团结在一个共同的信念周围——你们能做成这件事。
当信息不对称时，沟通就会崩溃
几天前，我在北京参加了一个活动。在鸡尾酒会上，我们随机和一些陌生人坐在一桌。
人与人之间存在信息鸿沟。当你们不在同一个语境中时，根本无法沟通。要进行有意义的交流，双方需要对同一话题有不同的观点——这才能让对话流动起来。但如果你讨论的是对方从未听说过、更不用说有看法的事情，对话就死了。单向的思想传递是没有意义的。沟通需要共同的语境。
我的建议
1. 拓展知识的广度
持续扩展你的"世界模型"。不断学习。积极尝试新事物。生命本身就是一段旅程——用这几十年尽可能多地探索。
2. 加深专业深度
在你的专业领域，不断深挖。广度给你选择；深度给你竞争优势。
3. 和金融圈的人交朋友
根据我的观察，金融圈的人每天处理大量信息——过滤、分类、分析。他们的平均工作强度不亚于科技圈。他们通常对信息流有独特的视角。
4. 信息有保质期
提前知道的信息才有意义。关于正在发生或已经发生的事情的信息价值要低得多。你知道得越早，你能采取行动的空间就越大。
5. 认知来自深度思考
不要只是消费信息——要处理它。你的认知来自对你收集的信息的深度思考，而不是来自信息本身。
结语
OpenAI 的创始人 Sam Altman 曾在他的博客上写道：
"最大的竞争优势——无论对公司还是个人——是长期思考，对世界上不同系统实际如何运作有广阔的视角。"
构建你的世界模型。深度思考。记住：你的决策质量永远不会超过你的信息质量。