
Est, Werner Erhard, and the corporatization of self-help (2003) - gwern
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200305/?read=article_snider
======
musesum
I went to Landmark intro and advanced course in 1997.

TL;DR Focus on sense facts, as in: "I heard you say this"; less
interpretation, as in: "You must be thinking that"

There were 150 people in a room, guided into recognizing how one's inner
dialogue is often a chain of interpretations. The goal was to be more rigorous
about the facts.

My interpretation (hah!) is that perhaps someone got a hold of Wittgenstein's
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and weaved its premise into a group therapy
setting. It was pretty intense. I found it both creepy and effective - in a
good way. For me, it was worth it.

~~~
eugenejen
I went on 1999. Same interpretation as you do.

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martin1975
since this is a techy website, I can tell you the impact the Forum had on me
(formerly known as the "Est" training) is it probably healed me of the NIH
syndrome far more than anything else - or I should say, NIBM (Not Invented By
Me) syndrome, because I really felt I was God's greatest gift to programming
up until that point.... and it was all based off a premise that I had to
-prove- this over and over again to everyone I ever encountered, all my peers,
all my superiors - to a point I didn't realize was beyond annoying and in more
than one instance damaging to me...

It showed me the 'grey' area of being an effective, or rather -pragmatic-
programmer, who doesn't have a black or white approach to everything. Yes, the
solution, when put to the paper (or code rather :), is indeed a binary,
black/white kind of ordeal, this is usually the least contentious part of
software development and the most is probably working with others...but the
approach up to that point is not black/white as nothing is black white when
dealing with people.

It (the Forum) is definitely not something one would regularly attend unless
they start hitting a brick wall and a plateau in their career ... as I did.
Since then I'd been promoted and given salary increases regularly - never
really had the courage to start a business even though I'm a regular lurker
here, or pitch an idea/prototype (yet) to some vc like PG.... but
nevertheless, certain aspects of my behavior completely unravelled (for the
better) as a result of this 3 day event.

Can't say it worked for everyone - but for me, it did wonders.

I'm pleased to see some of its blueprints so omnipresent in corporate America
- hopefully it humanizes us more.

~~~
neuro_imager
Thank you for sharing.

I'm very skeptical from everything I've read about this organisation. I can't
see much evidence that this isn't just a lucrative scam preying on people
during vulnerable times in their lives. I'd be interested to hear evidence to
the contrary.

So far all the "positive benefits" sound as if they could be accounted for by
selective attention as well as a self-selected group of very motivated people
that attend these conferences (much like most self help).

~~~
martin1975
I went into it thinking it's a scam. It's no more scam than attending dale
carnegie, or a Tony Robbins firewalk, or some self professed guru's seminar.

If you're just going into it to "check it out", or to prove your point...you
won't get anything out of it. It works only if you have an intention around
something you might be dealing with ... for me, it was struggling with
authority.

It is not for everyone.

