How Do You Know That?

The following is from a speech delivered by William Berkley—Chairman and CEO of insurance company W. R. Berkley Corporation—at the Haskins Awards Dinner sponsored by the NYU Stern Graduate School of Business. He puts forward a good question that should be reflected on more frequently.

The state of our minds is the most important fact of our existence. Reality matters, of course, but for us individually, it is our state of mind that determines our perception of reality.

My own state of mind leads to a constant question.... It is a question that every citizen should constantly ask: How do you know that?

Our contemporary world requires a healthy degree of skepticism. As society becomes more complex and process driven, it is important to be willing to ask questions—to be skeptical—if one is to gain understanding.

Educated people want to know how their knowledge is grounded. They want to know how they know what they know.

It is your confidence in what you know that determines your state of mind. And we live in a world where your state of mind determines your life.