Mental models are a way of explaining how things work. Throughout our lives, we build up a personal collection of mental models to understand the world around us.
Mental models aren't perfect but developing a rich toolbox of them can be useful in navigating the complexities of life. Learning to intuitively apply the right models in the right situations is something we develop with practice.
This website is a curated collection of models with broad applicability in everyday life. There’s a focus on brief descriptions and simple, real life examples of the models in use.
Weekly Mental Model
First Principles Reasoning
Break complex problems into foundational elements and use these elements to build your reasoning.Description
A first principle is a foundational assumption or proposition that cannot be derived from other assumption or propositions. By attempting to break down problems into first principles and re-constructing solutions using these building blocks, you're less likely to be biased by prior assumptions. This in turn can lead to more innovative solutions.
Examples
A child repeatedly asking "why?" to answers for an initial question is intuitively thinking in first principles.
A company building a cheaper product than competitors by investigating ways of using the raw materials firsthand instead of just following existing conventions.