How To Think More Clearly: Mental Models For Dummies
Plus 4 of the best to get you started
Two young fish are swimming along when they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way. The older fish nods and says, “Good morning boys. How’s the water?” The two young fish smile, nod, and continue on their way. As they glide through the water in silence, eventually, one of them turns around to the other and says, “What the hell is water?”
The point of this parable — first told by David Foster Wallace — is that the most obvious and important realities are often the most difficult to see.
This is true for many aspects of our lives. Some of our experiences are so automated, so basic, that we’re not always aware of them.
For example, when I ask my clients about the nature of their inner voice, they often tilt their heads, think about the question, and then proceed to tell me that they don’t have an inner voice. Then I ask, “who just told you that?”
We all have an inner voice, of course, but sometimes it’s so pervasive that it’s difficult to see — like two little fish swimming around the ocean looking for water.
Making sense of reality
Mental models are psychological explanations of how things work. They provide us with…
