korrents

mental models

Which mental models help you think better? — the views on this, and who holds which

Thinking tools borrowed across disciplines: inversion, second-order effects, circles of competence, probabilities, incentives.

FilterEveryone, all time70 from 16 people
Group All Founders & executives 2Writers & journalists 3
Who Everyone SPShane Parrish 23 CMCharlie Munger 18 GWGabriel Weinberg 7 JCJames Clear 6 NRNaval Ravikant 4 TUTim Urban 2 AKAlfred Korzybski 1 ASAravind Srinivas 1 BKBen Kuhn 1 BGBill Gurley 1 FGFlora Guo 1 GBGregory Bateson 1 JZJulie Zhuo 1 KVKenton Varda 1 MCMeaghan Choi 1 SYScott H. Young 1
When All time Past 1 yearPast 3 yearsPast 5 years
  1. MC

    Meaghan Choi quoted

    Design Lead for Claude Code at Anthropic

    Our readingExperimenting with mental models does not require high craft and is better done at speed, in the open, in iteration than by polishing something that is the wrong shape.

    Their wordsthat experimentation of mental models doesn't require that high of craft and it's better done actually in speed in the open in iteration as opposed to spending a lot of time polishing something that's actually the wrong full wrong shape

    ↗Meaghan Choi - Designing Claude Code (and what's coming next)youtube.com 10th of 20 in this recording

  2. 4 weeks earlier
  3. BG

    Bill Gurley quoted

    General partner at Benchmark Capital for over two decades

    Our readingOptimising a single metric is a trap, because the second-order consequences of the change only surface much later.

    Their wordsyou got to be really conscious of the consequence and not get too deterministic about a single metric or a single variable and know what's important and what's on top.

    ↗Mental Models That Change How You Think | Bill Gurleyyoutube.com 2nd of 16 in this recording

  4. 2 months earlier
  5. FG

    Flora Guo quoted

    Founding design engineer at Paradigm as of March 2026

    Our readingRather than having AI just do the task, people should use it to help build the right mental models.

    Their wordsBut, I really encourage us to flip it and be like, "How can we use AI to help us build the right mental models that we need?

    ↗Flora Guo - How to accelerate your design career with AIyoutube.com 14th of 15 in this recording

  6. 4 months earlier
  7. SY

    Scott H. Young quoted

    Canadian writer on learning who taught himself MIT's…

    Our readingYou cannot learn to code by having a model write it: the mental models only come from writing programs by hand.

    Their wordsThe answer, I believe, is not too different from before: if you want to learn to code, you need to start by creating programs by hand.

    ↗Will AI Make Us Stupid?scotthyoung.com 3rd of 6 in this piece

  8. 12 months earlier
  9. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Founder of Farnam Street (fs.blog) and host of The Knowledge Project podcast

    Our readingHanlon's razor is a safeguard against labelling behaviour as malicious when incompetence is the more common cause.

    Their wordsHanlon’s razor is a mental safeguard against the temptation to label behavior as malicious when incompetence is the most common response.

    ↗Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get Youfs.blog 1st of 6 in this piece

  10. 4 months earlier
  11. BK

    Ben Kuhn quoted

    Software engineer and writer; former CTO of Wave

    Our readingTrust between colleagues comes from shared mental models built through mutual investment.

    Their wordsTrust comes from common knowledge of shared mental models, and that takes investment from both sides to build.

    ↗Trust as a bottleneck to growing teams quicklybenkuhn.net 1st of 2 in this piece

  12. 3 weeks earlier
  13. AS

    Aravind Srinivas quoted

    Co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, an AI answer engine

    Our readingSpending most of the compute memorising the world in pre-training is brute force; what we want is a model that reasons the way a student sits an open-book exam.

    scaling laws

    Their wordsI think there’s an interesting thought experiment here that, we’ve been spending a lot of compute in the pre-training to acquire general common sense, but that seems brute force and inefficient. What you want is a system that can learn like an open book exam.

    ↗Aravind Srinivas: Perplexity CEO on Future of AI, Search & the Internet | Lex Fridman Podcast #434youtube.com 9th of 20 in this recording

  14. 2 months earlier
  15. KV

    Kenton Varda quoted

    Engineer at Cloudflare who designed Workers

    Our readingRPC fits how programmers already think, in function calls, which frees them from constantly translating between mental models.

    Their wordsThe fact is, RPC fits the programming model we're used to. Every programmer is trained to think in terms of APIs composed of function calls, not in terms of byte stream protocols nor even REST. Using RPC frees you from the need to constantly translate between mental models, allowing you to move faster.

    ↗We've added JavaScript-native RPC to Cloudflare Workersblog.cloudflare.com

  16. 5 months earlier
  17. JZ

    Julie Zhuo quoted

    Co-founder of Sundial; former vice president of product…

    Our readingObviousness comes from conforming to people's existing mental models: do not reinvent a common UI pattern unless the new one is at least twice as good.

    design

    Their wordsObviousness comes from conforming to people’s existing mental models. Don’t waste time reinventing common UI patterns or paradigms unless they are at least 2x better, or you have some critical brand reason to do so.

    ↗The Looking Glass: How to tell if work is beautifullg.substack.com

  18. 21 months earlier
  19. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingA thought experiment serves to encourage speculation and logical thinking and to change paradigms.

    Their wordsThe purpose of a thought experiment is to encourage speculation, logical thinking and to change paradigms.

    ↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 1st of 5 in this piece

  21. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingThought experiments expose gaps in knowledge and help recognise the limits of what can be known.

    Their wordsThought experiments push us outside our comfort zone by forcing us to confront questions we cannot answer with ease. They demonstrate gaps in our knowledge and help us recognize the limits of what can be known.

    ↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 2nd of 5 in this piece

  23. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingThought experiments are a structured form of natural human curiosity about the world.

    curiosity

    Their wordsThought experiments are a structured manifestation of our natural curiosity about the world.

    ↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 3rd of 5 in this piece

  25. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingAlthough science usually needs empirical evidence, thought experiments may be used to develop a hypothesis or prepare for experimentation.

    Their wordsAlthough empirical evidence is usually necessary for science, thought experiments may be used to develop a hypothesis or to prepare for experimentation.

    ↗Thought Experiment: How Einstein Solved Difficult Problemsfs.blog 5th of 5 in this piece

  26. 2 years earlier
  27. NR

    Naval Ravikant quoted

    Co-founder of AngelList

    Our readingKnowing the catalogue of mental models is not the hard part; knowing which ones matter most, which to apply often, and in which circumstances is.

    Their wordsYou go to Farnam Street, you go to Poor Charlie’s Almanack, and you can learn all the different mental models. But which ones matter more? Which ones do you apply more often? Which ones matter in which circumstances? That’s actually the hard part.

    ↗How to Get Rich (every episode)nav.al 1st of 5 in this piece

  29. NR

    Naval Ravikant quoted

    Our readingThe principal-agent problem, an incentives problem, drives a great deal of what happens in the world.

    Their wordsFor example, my personal learning has been that the principal-agent problem drives so much in this world. It’s an incentives problem.

    ↗How to Get Rich (every episode)nav.al 2nd of 5 in this piece

  31. NR

    Naval Ravikant quoted

    Our readingTit-for-tat in the iterated prisoner's dilemma is the piece of game theory most worth knowing.

    Their wordsI’ve learned that tit-for-tat iterated prisoner’s dilemma is the piece of game theory that is worth knowing the most. You can almost put down the game theory book after that.

    ↗How to Get Rich (every episode)nav.al 3rd of 5 in this piece

  33. NR

    Naval Ravikant quoted

    Our readingThinking in terms of explicit mental-model checklists is less useful than focusing on the few lessons that keep proving important across many situations.

    Their wordsI think mental models are interesting, but I don’t think explicitly in terms of mental-model checklists. I know Charlie Munger does, but that’s just not how I think. Instead, I tend to focus on the few lessons I’ve learned over and over in life that I think are incredibly important and seem to apply almost universally.

    ↗How to Get Rich (every episode)nav.al 5th of 5 in this piece

  34. 2 months earlier
  35. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingOccam's razor holds that the simplest explanation is preferable to a more complex one, because simple theories are easier to verify and simple solutions easier to execute.

    Their wordsIn simpler language, Occam’s razor states that the simplest explanation is preferable to one that is more complex. Simple theories are easier to verify. Simple solutions are easier to execute.

    ↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 1st of 5 in this piece

  37. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingOccam's razor works best for making initial conclusions before the full scope of information can be obtained.

    Their wordsIt works best as a mental model for making initial conclusions before the full scope of information can be obtained.

    ↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 2nd of 5 in this piece

  39. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingLike any mental model Occam's razor is not foolproof, and should be used with care.

    Their wordsIt is important to note that, like any mental model, Occam’s razor is not foolproof. Use it with care, lest you cut yourself.

    ↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 3rd of 5 in this piece

  41. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingOccam's razor is no substitute for critical thinking; it is a tool for making that thinking more efficient.

    Their wordsOccam’s razor is not intended to be a substitute for critical thinking. It is merely a tool to help make that thinking more efficient.

    ↗How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cutfs.blog 5th of 5 in this piece

  42. 17 months earlier
  43. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingProbabilistic thinking, estimating the likelihood of outcomes, is one of the best tools for improving the accuracy of decisions.

    Their wordsProbabilistic thinking is essentially trying to estimate, using some tools of math and logic, the likelihood of any specific outcome coming to pass. It is one of the best tools we have to improve the accuracy of our decisions.

    ↗The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikesfs.blog 1st of 5 in this piece

  45. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingThe future is not determined, and it can be navigated better by understanding the likelihood of events that could affect us.

    Their wordsThe future is far from determined and we can better navigate it by understanding the likelihood of events that could impact us.

    ↗The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikesfs.blog 2nd of 5 in this piece

  47. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingBayesian thinking lets a person use all relevant prior information when making decisions.

    Their wordsBayesian thinking allows us to use all relevant prior information in making decisions.

    ↗The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikesfs.blog 3rd of 5 in this piece

  49. SP

    Shane Parrish quoted

    Our readingThinking in probabilities means roughly identifying what matters, getting a sense of the odds, checking assumptions, and then deciding.

    Their wordsSuccessfully thinking in shades of probability means roughly identifying what matters, coming up with a sense of the odds, doing a check on our assumptions, and then making a decision.

    ↗The Value of Probabilistic Thinking: Spies, Crime, and Lightning Strikesfs.blog 5th of 5 in this piece

  50. 9 months earlier
  51. JC

    by

    James Clear quoted

    Writer on habits and decision-making

    Our readingA mental model is an explanation of how something works, and each one helps in understanding a different part of life, such as markets, trust or decay.

    Their wordsMental models help you understand life. For example, supply and demand is a mental model that helps you understand how the economy works. Game theory is a mental model that helps you understand how relationships and trust work. Entropy is a mental model that helps you understand how disorder and decay work.

    ↗Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edgejamesclear.com 1st of 6 in this piece

  53. JC

    by

    James Clear quoted

    Our readingLearning a new mental model can give a person a new way to see the world, much as a new math technique does.

    Their wordsMental models also guide your perception and behavior. They are the thinking tools that you use to understand life, make decisions, and solve problems. Learning a new mental model gives you a new way to see the world—like Richard Feynman learning a new math technique.

    ↗Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edgejamesclear.com 2nd of 6 in this piece

  55. JC

    by

    James Clear quoted

    Our readingMental models are imperfect but useful: no single one explains everything, yet the best of them have let people build and travel.

    physics

    Their wordsMental models are imperfect, but useful. There is no single mental model from physics or engineering, for example, that provides a flawless explanation of the entire universe, but the best mental models from those disciplines have allowed us to build bridges and roads, develop new technologies, and even travel to outer space.

    ↗Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edgejamesclear.com 3rd of 6 in this piece

  57. JC

    by

    James Clear quoted

    Our readingThe best mental models are the ones with the most utility, and a broad base of them is needed to think clearly, rationally and effectively.

    Their wordsThe best mental models are the ideas with the most utility. They are broadly useful in daily life. Understanding these concepts will help you make wiser choices and take better actions. This is why developing a broad base of mental models is critical for anyone interested in thinking clearly, rationally, and effectively.

    ↗Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edgejamesclear.com 4th of 6 in this piece

  59. JC

    by

    James Clear quoted

    Our readingOf the thousands of mental models, the ones worth having are those that apply broadly to life.

    Their wordsThere are thousands of mental models, but the best ones apply broadly to life and are useful in a wide range of situations.

    ↗Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edgejamesclear.com 5th of 6 in this piece