April 03, 2019

Knowledge Project: Becoming a Model Thinker

1 hour 23 minutes

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

Mental models serve as a framework that you use to make sense of the world
To make sense of complexity, use a variety of mental models
- “By looking at the world through an ensemble of logically coherent lenses, you can actually make sense of the complex world”
It’s valuable to have a group of people with diverse backgrounds
- Different people have different assumptions of how the world works (they have different mental models), so they’ll see different parts of a problem
The Wisdom Hierarchy
- At the bottom there’s data
- On top of the data is information (how the world is structured)
- On top of information is knowledge (understanding either correlative or causative relationships between pieces of information)
- Then there’s wisdom (understanding which knowledge to bring to bear on a particular problem)
Think of yourself like a tool box – you have the capacity to accumulate tools (mental models/ways of thinking)
- You could become the world’s expert on a particular subject and have a ton of mental models in that specific area
- Or you could spread out – have an awareness of a bunch of models which cover a variety of topics
“In a complex world, your ability to contribute and succeed is going to depend on you filling a niche that’s valuable”
Probably the most important mental model mentioned:
- Try to consider what a problem looks like through the lens of each person involved

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On this episode, Scott Page, 5x Author and Professor of Complex Systems at the University of Michigan explains the power mental models have in how we view the world, discover creative solutions and solve complex problems.

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For comprehensive show notes on this episode, including a full edited transcript, go to https://fs.blog/podcast/

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April 03, 2019

Knowledge Project: Becoming a Model Thinker

1 hour 23 minutes

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

Mental models serve as a framework that you use to make sense of the world
To make sense of complexity, use a variety of mental models
- “By looking at the world through an ensemble of logically coherent lenses, you can actually make sense of the complex world”
It’s valuable to have a group of people with diverse backgrounds
- Different people have different assumptions of how the world works (they have different mental models), so they’ll see different parts of a problem
The Wisdom Hierarchy
- At the bottom there’s data
- On top of the data is information (how the world is structured)
- On top of information is knowledge (understanding either correlative or causative relationships between pieces of information)
- Then there’s wisdom (understanding which knowledge to bring to bear on a particular problem)
Think of yourself like a tool box – you have the capacity to accumulate tools (mental models/ways of thinking)
- You could become the world’s expert on a particular subject and have a ton of mental models in that specific area
- Or you could spread out – have an awareness of a bunch of models which cover a variety of topics
“In a complex world, your ability to contribute and succeed is going to depend on you filling a niche that’s valuable”
Probably the most important mental model mentioned:
- Try to consider what a problem looks like through the lens of each person involved