All models are wrong, but some are useful
Mental models (or “cognitive frameworks”) are maps of cognitive domains that help implement and shape thinking. Maps are helpful because they are a simplification of the complex territory the traveler wishes to navigate. This necessarily includes loss of detail so as to retain only the most relevant features of the topography. And this is inherently an imperfect process, thus: “All models are wrong, but some are useful.”[1]
See also:
- Every logical model of reality must be continuously refined
- Scouts frequently update their maps
- Principles and practices in the creation of mental models
Box, George E. P., and Norman R. Draper. Empirical Model-Building and Response Surfaces. Wiley, 1987. ↩︎