> "You run idealized versions of systems in your head." Yes, they're idealised versions, but that still has value. The point at which the idealised model doesn

> "You run idealized versions of systems in your head." Yes, they're idealised versions, but that still has value. The point at which the idealised model doesn't match up with reality is the point at which further investigation is required. It's an effective way of filtering out the parts of the system that you already have a reasonable grasp on so that you can focus on parts that you don't. On a more general point, almost all models are idealised approximations. The whole idea with modelling a system is to abstract away the rough edges by encapsulating complex behaviour in discrete groups. By working with these simplified models, the idea is that you gain a better intuition of the activity found within a system. In short, the whole purpose of models is to guide intuition.