Assumptions

I talk a lot about examining assumptions–about questioning dearly held beliefs and common truth(isms), and about learning to see the world through a different and sometimes much more accurate or perceptive lens. This principle works for everything from training animals to writing books to running countries. Some things are just taken for granted. But should they be?

Assumptions are everywhere. They’re in the food we eat–what it is, how it’s prepared and packaged–and the clothes we wear. When I...