“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging the future but by the past.“

— Patrick Henry

When we try to determine what will happen in the future, or evaluate what a given person tells you they plan to do in the future, we should always let the past govern our judgment.  This is because the past is not only our best, but our only guide to the future.  If something has always lead to a given result in the past, then we have absolutely no reason to expect it will end any differently in the future (socialism is the perfect example: no matter what the form, it always collapses within a generation).  The same applies to individuals: if their past shows a pattern of deception and/or broken promises, then we should just assume they will continue that pattern in the future.  Continue reading PRINCIPLES FOR LIVING A RATIONAL LIFE: Unless There Is A ‘Turning Point,’ The Past Must Be Our Guide →