General Thinking Tools: 9 Mental Models to Solve Difficult Problems
While there are millions of mental models, I find these the most useful in solving difficult problems. These general thinking tools should be taught in every school.
«Thought experiments can be defined as “devices of the imagination used to investigate the nature of things.”[1]»
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Mental Models I Find Repeatedly Useful
Update: Since this post came out, I co-authored a book about it called Super Thinking. Get notified about book updates here (currently…
«you can learn through coursework, mentorship, or first-hand experience.»
Adding is favoured over subtracting in problem solving
People tend to solve problems by adding features.
«Moreover, people could assume that existing features are there for a reason, and so looking for additions would be more effective.»
Mental Models - Issue #51
An ancient Greek poet wrote:The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.Isiah Berlin expanded upon this idea in a famous essay. He divided writers and thinkers into two…
Present bias: how instant gratification impacts your long-term goals
The present bias is our tendency to seize short-term opportunities, settling for a small present reward rather than waiting for a larger future reward.
«staying mindful of your long-term goals so you don’t fall prey to the dangers of instant gratification»
Tit For Tat
Tit for tat is a strategy which, according to game theory, is the most effective choice for iterated games based on mutual cooperation or defection.
«Under tit for tat, a player will begin by cooperating, then in subsequent iterations will replicate whatever their opponent did last time.»
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