Sturgeon’s Law: This is Why 90% of Everything is Crap

Have you ever noticed that much of what you see on the internet is crap? You see examples of it everywhere! From products on Amazon (thank God for reviews to help us figure out what is good!) to many blog posts (except Prime Your Pump!), to the design of websites that we visit. In fact, I recently came across called the worst website ever,  Its creators are web designers who made it to make a point and even listed all the bad aspects of the site.  The sad thing is, they could have probably saved their time and just linked to examples of existing poorly designed sites, lord knows most websites you encounter are crap!  Interestingly, I recently learned that there is a name for the fact that much of what we encounter in our lives is crap – a maxim known as Sturgeon’s Law.

In fact, seeing as how sturgeon is also the name of a fish, it reminds me of a good analogy from when I was a kid out fishing with my friends that fits perfectly with Sturgeon’s Law.  Of all the fish we caught, 90% were crappy, meaning we would have to throw them back and keep persisting until we got to the 10% that were good.

Ok, enough fish stories…at least for now, let’s talk more about Sturgeon’s Law and how we can use it in our lives.

What is Sturgeon’s Law?

Sturgeon’s Law is a maxim which says that “90% of everything is crap.”  Meaning that the majority of things that are produced in any given field are worthless or of low quality. For example, when it comes to literature, Sturgeon’s Law says that 90% of books are of low-quality.

The idea behind Sturgeon’s Law is that most of what we read, watch, consume, buy or review is crap, so there is no point obsessing over it or spending too much time thinking about it.  Instead, we are better off directing our attention to the 10% that is not crap and that can benefit us in some manner.

Where Did Sturgeon’s Law Originate?

Sturgeon’s Law was created by Theodore Sturgeon, an American science fiction writer, and critic.  The first reference to Sturgeon’s Law came in the March 1958 issue of Venture, where Sturgeon said:

“I repeat Sturgeon’s Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against attacks of people who used the worst examples of the field for ammunition, and whose conclusion was that ninety percent of SF is crud. Using the same standards that categorize 90% of science fiction as trash, crud, or crap, it can be argued that 90% of film, literature, consumer goods, etc. is crap. In other words, the claim (or fact) that 90% of science fiction is crap is ultimately uninformative, because science fiction conforms to the same trends of quality as all other artforms.” ²

How Does it Work?

According to Peter Hollins in his book Mental Models: 30 Thinking Tools that Separate the Average From the Exceptional. Improved Decision-Making, Logical Analysis, and Problem-Solving,

“With clear thinking, Sturgeon’s Law works in a twofold way. First, consider that much of the information we might use to assess something is inessential, poorly constructed, insignificant, or just plain wrong. Second, we shouldn’t get too consumed by how terrible these parts are; rather, we should focus on the thinking and processes that are good.” ¹

Using Sturgeon’s Law in Our Lives

There are several ways we can leverage Sturgeon’s Law in our lives:

(1)  To be more mindful of our thoughts

If you think about it, it is possible that 90% of our daily thoughts could be considered crap and a waste of our time. Negative thinking, worrying about stuff that will likely never happen and other thoughts that add no value are a few examples of this. One way to counteract this is to practice some of the self-awareness exercises that we discussed in a recent 5-part post on emotional intelligence.

(2)  To spend your time more efficiently

There is no doubt that many of us fritter away a good chunk of our valuable time.  Consciously choosing to spend time watching smut on TV to unwind at the end of a long day is one thing but mindlessly scrolling through Instagram is another.  If want to get a handle on how much time you are wasting, engage in a week or two of time logging to see how you are spending your time, it will really open your eyes.

(3)  To be a better consumer

Whether it is what you read, watch on TV, or what you buy at the store, much of it is low quality and can result in wasted time and/or money. By reading reviews and doing research beforehand, many times you can avoid the 90% of crap and instead identify and focus on that which is of higher quality.

(4)  When solving problems

As Hollins advises: “When we’re trying to solve a problem or understand something, therefore, we should concentrate on the most vital components or the most reliable, provable information. Don’t waste a lot of energy on the most common flaws or the most disparaged elements. Sturgeon’s Law says its low quality makes it unimportant, so it’s dispensable.” ¹

 (5)  To Be on the Look Out for the Good 10%

As Daniel Dennett says in his book Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking:

“A good moral to draw from this observation is that when you want to criticize a field, a genre, a discipline, an art form,…don’t waste your time and ours hooting at the crap!  Go after the good stuff, or leave it alone.  This advice is often ignored by idealogues intent on destroying the reputation of analytic philosophy, evolutionary psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, macroeconomics, plastic surgery, improvisational theater, television sitcoms, philosophical theology, massage therapy, you name it.  Let’s stipulate at the outset that there is a great deal of deplorable, stupid, second-rate stuff out there, of all sorts.  Now, in order not to waste your time and try our patiences, make sure you concentrate on the best stuff you can find, the flagship examples extolled by the leaders in the field, the prize-winning entries, not the dregs.” ³

A Couple of Caveats When Using Sturgeon’s Law

The main point when using Sturgeon’s Law is that only a small percentage of what is produced in any field will be of high quality.

While that is true, like anything, there are a couple of caveats to Sturgeon’s Law that we need to be mindful of:

(1)  Many things in life are subjective: What is crap to someone else, may be perfectly acceptable to you, and vice versa. As the old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.

(2)  The percentages are not absolute: There are times when 75% will be crap and 25% will be good. And within the 25% of good, there will be varying degrees of good.  Some of it may only be a bit better than crap!

The idea is not to get too hung up on semantics and percentages but rather to use Sturgeon’s Law to stop our mind’s tendency to get lost in directions that are irrelevant and add no value.

Speaking of Fish Stories!

Here’s a good one…

A customer at a fish store was impressed by the owner’s quick wit and intelligence.

“Hey Michael, why are you so smart?”

“Well, I don’t share this will many people” Michael replies while lowering his voice so others in the store cannot hear him, “But since you are a loyal customer, I’ll tell you.  It is fish heads, if you eat enough of them you will be a genius!”

“Do you sell them here?” asks the customer.

“Yup and they are only 4 bucks each!” says Michael.

So, the customers buys 3 fish heads and eats them.  He comes back a couple of weeks later complaining that they tasted disgusting and that he isn’t any smarter.

Michael replies, “you didn’t eat enough”.  The customer then buys 15 more fish heads and goes home.

A couple of weeks later he comes back and is really angry!

“Listen Michael!” he says. “You are selling me these fish heads for 4 bucks each when I can buy the whole fish for 2 bucks – you are ripping me off!”

“See!” says Michael, “you are becoming a genius already!”

So, did you like the joke?  For you, is it in the 90% crap or 10% good?

Well, if you didn’t like it, just remember the caveat from above – many things in life are subjective!!  As they say, one man’s LOL is another man’s WTF!

I just hope you think this blog post and our blog falls in the 10%!

Until next time, keep using Sturgeon’s Law and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Click here to check out the entire book.

Use it Or Lose It – Sturgeon’s Law

As we discussed, there are several ways we can leverage Sturgeon’s Law in our lives:

(1)  To be more mindful of our thoughts.
(2)  To spend your time more efficiently.
(3)  To be a better consumer
(4)  When solving problems
(5)  To Be on the Look Out for the Good 10%

When to Use It

Use Sturgeon’s Law when appropriate to clarify your thinking.

What Do You Think?

What do you think of Sturgeon’s Law? Have you used it? Will you use it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world to us if you shared it with people you care about via any of the social media platforms below!

Popular Previous Posts:

How to Spend Less: The Minimalist Approach to Money
This is Why It’s So Important to Think Win Win!
Byron Wien: 20 Lessons He Learned in His First 80 Years!
This is How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!

References

¹ Mental Models: 30 Thinking Tools that Separate the Average From the Exceptional. Improved Decision-Making, Logical Analysis, and Problem-Solving by Peter Hollins

² Issue 49 of Venture Science Fiction September 1957

³ Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking