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Are these "models"? They sound more like principles/tactics. Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but I say this because I've been thinking a lot lately about what I con

Are these "models"? They sound more like principles/tactics. Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but I say this because I've been thinking a lot lately about what I consider to be mental models: A fleshed-out mental image of the way a real-life thing works. It took me a while to fully grasp the benefit of that definition of a mental model: Once you have formed a strong mental image of how a thing works or how a situation should be, you have a powerful ability to compare and notice when things are out of alignment with that mental model, and can even notice this misalignment subconsciously. If the misalignment is because your mental model is wrong or incomplete, it's a great learning opportunity. If the misalignment is because something is wrong with the situation, you're more likely to spot problems that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Anyway, to the article: Some good principles here (I currently follow a number of them), but mostly just a summary without much detail.

kayodelycaon 4y ago
They aren't models in any way I understand the term. I called them tools in my comment. It's a good list but comes with just enough explanation to misunderstand what they are if you don't research or already know the tool. In short, I believe the author is making a sales pitch, not writing an article.
madiator 4y ago
Yeah the term mental models is being misused these days. Each of us build thousands of mental models in our head, and what the list in the article contain are, principles or lenses. I wrote about this in https://smarter.blog/mental-models/ https://smarter.blog/mental-models/.
SN76477 4y ago
In the book Superthinking by Lauren McCann & Gabriel Weinberg the model is described as a sort of shortcut. You can have 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12 or 2 x 6 = 12 2 x 6 isn't always obvious, but it is a faster way to get to the same (or better answer) And this is how I think of the models, not as a way of thinking but more like a way to tune my thinking.
jsdalton 4y ago
Probably “heuristics” is a better term to describe these. “Mental models” refers to something quite different, which is the simplified representation we form in our minds of the world around us that helps us better comprehend and navigate it.
hammock 4y ago
“Mental models” the term as used here was popularized by Charlie Munger and is best understood in a semiliterate, small-town kind of way, and it’s not uncommon. If tool or heuristic fits better in your mind, replace with that term. https://fs.blog/mental-models/ https://fs.blog/mental-models/ https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-100-mental-models-mentioned-by-Charles-Munger https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-100-mental-models-mention...

kayodelycaon 4y ago

They aren't models in any way I understand the term. I called them tools in my comment. It's a good list but comes with just enough explanation to misunderstand what they are if you don't research or already know the tool. In short, I believe the author is making a sales pitch, not writing an article.

madiator 4y ago

Yeah the term mental models is being misused these days. Each of us build thousands of mental models in our head, and what the list in the article contain are, principles or lenses. I wrote about this in https://smarter.blog/mental-models/ https://smarter.blog/mental-models/.

SN76477 4y ago

In the book Superthinking by Lauren McCann & Gabriel Weinberg the model is described as a sort of shortcut. You can have 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12 or 2 x 6 = 12 2 x 6 isn't always obvious, but it is a faster way to get to the same (or better answer) And this is how I think of the models, not as a way of thinking but more like a way to tune my thinking.

jsdalton 4y ago

Probably “heuristics” is a better term to describe these. “Mental models” refers to something quite different, which is the simplified representation we form in our minds of the world around us that helps us better comprehend and navigate it.

hammock 4y ago

“Mental models” the term as used here was popularized by Charlie Munger and is best understood in a semiliterate, small-town kind of way, and it’s not uncommon. If tool or heuristic fits better in your mind, replace with that term. https://fs.blog/mental-models/ https://fs.blog/mental-models/ https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-100-mental-models-mentioned-by-Charles-Munger https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-100-mental-models-mention...