Filters

I found this quote in “David’s Sling” – a pretty good book altogether, in a similar vein with “Dune” in my mind. Anyhow, this quote has always been something I appreciated:In the Information Age, the first step to sanity is FILTERING.
Filter the information; extract the knowledge.
Filter first for substance. Filter second for significance.
These filters protect against advertising.
Filter third for reliability. This filter protects against politicians.
Filter fourth for completeness. This filter protects against the media.
-Zetetic Commentaries

As a different kind of set of filters, there are these 9 Well-Formedness Conditions for goals:

1: Positive – What do you want? (vs. what do you not want) Are your reasons for pursuing the goal clear?
2: Evidence – How will you know you’ve succeeded?
3: Specifics – How, Where, When and With Whom?
4: Resources – What resources do you have? (objects, people, role models, personal qualities, time, money) Are they adequate?
5: Control – Can you start and maintain the outcome?
6: Ecology – What are the wider consequences?
7: Identity – Is the outcome consistent with who you are?
8: Cooperation – How do your outcomes fit together? Are there any mutually exclusive or incompatible outcomes?
9: Action – What do you do next?