Genius Margins

Genius Margins

Examine Borrowed Beliefs

Why writing exposes what you actually think and why that matters

Noah Zender's avatar
Noah Zender
Sep 07, 2025
∙ Paid

I was having drinks with a failed founder a few months ago when it happened.

The moment shattered my illusion of intellectual independence.

Smart guy. Good business sense.

We'd been talking about higher education. The usual topics that make you feel sophisticated at 2 AM.

Then the conversation shifted to AI, and suddenly I could see the future.

Not the future of technology.

The future of our conversation.

I started to get a gauge on his opinions during our discussion of previous topics.

I knew exactly what he was about to say. Down to the specific phrases he'd use before he even opened his mouth.

It was like watching someone recite lines from a script they didn't know they were reading.

And then it hit me.

I was doing the same thing.

Breaking Free From Intellectual Conformity

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