Grand Models

Our mental models are the real space we occupy. We can live in the exact same geographical location but are separated apart by endless oceans when it comes to how we perceive the world. To be able to function properly, we need to update our mental models regularly by responding to unexpected changes.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble, it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so”

It’s easy to make small changes to your mental model when it comes to adjusting minute details at work or daily routines, but it’s more difficult to do so when it comes to your grand models of reality or paradigms – as they may harm your ego. 

Grand models tell us about how the world is, and more importantly, how we ought to behave in it. When something disrupts our grand model, all the other pieces seem to fall apart. Naturally, we’ll try our best to keep our grand models intact at great costs to ourselves.

For this reason, it’s unwise to argue with people about their grand models. A debate is an opportunity to engage in an intellectual exercise, or a game of wits, but it’s more than that – paradigms shape who you are. They govern your actions and intentions.

When you commit to a plan that will guide your behavior for any length of time, such as a job or a relationship, you maintain a certain level of consistency your beliefs. Otherwise, you become perpetually stuck in a state of analysis paralysis. It’s more practical to believe that your paradigm is true, and move forward confidently – even if it is ultimately not correct.

“No wind serves him who addresses his voyage to no certain port.” – Michel De Montaigne

An Equation for Intelligence

A new, interesting equation of intelligence states that it is a force that maximizes the freedom of choice in the future. The speaker studied intelligent systems, and tried to extrapolate the common aspect across them. He noted that intelligent systems act in a way, so as to avoid being trapped. That’s why you’re likely to work hard today, in order to unlock as many future possibilities as possible. And the equation suggests that there are two aspects to the force of intelligence. One, is its ability to predict, while the other is its capacity to act. To maximize your well-being, you should make your predictions as accurate as possible and increase the amount of resources you invest, and/or finding the paths that require less resources.

Intelligence is not simply the ability to conceive of an ideal future, but includes the ability to act. A high IQ might make you more capable in determining the best future paths to take, but if you aren’t doing anything to implement those ideas, you’re not behaving intelligently. Since the force of intelligence is a function of those variables; it could explain how we often see cases of people who succeed by repeating a simple idea, consistently and intensely over a long period of time, whereas other people who may have far more sophisticated ideas but do not act on them do not experience success.