It's tough to be a true "free-thinker".... Most people who self-describe themselves as such simply operate from a sloppy heuristic where they reject everything from mainstream science, media, and culture.

But of course, you have to trust something. And these people still have sources of information they trust... Podcast gurus, religious movements, their neighbors, etc. What they're really doing is a sort of "anti-modern cosplay", rejecting modernity in favor of a medieval world of rumor, superstition, and mistrust of anyone beyond your doorstep.

The correct way is: You have to truly understand the edifice of modern knowledge to understand what points are wrong. You have to carefully cultivate *both* mainstream *and* alternative sources of information, while understanding the blind spots in both.

And the bad news: *Most* alternative ideas are wrong. Most startups fail. Most alternative medicines don't work. Most "cryptocurrencies" are bunk.

To know whether you've really found the 1% of ideas that *do* work, and that the mainstream is blind to, takes real critical thinking, intellectual rigor, and a decent amount of luck.

But *most* people *most* of the time are best just sticking with the mainstream.