25 books
—
2 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You” as Want to Read:
The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You
by
Work with data like a pro using this guide that breaks down how to organize, apply, and most importantly, understand what you are analyzing in order to become a true data ninja.
From the stock market to genomics laboratories, census figures to marketing email blasts, we are awash with data. But as anyone who has ever opened up a spreadsheet packed with seemingly infinite li ...more
From the stock market to genomics laboratories, census figures to marketing email blasts, we are awash with data. But as anyone who has ever opened up a spreadsheet packed with seemingly infinite li ...more
Get A Copy
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Model Thinker,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Model Thinker
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You
As a professional Business Intelligence Analyst (BIA) this is the perfect non-fiction book for my desk. I do data aggregation, reporting, and analysis at my day job. And we are constantly trying to determine what the best correlation, representation or model is for analysis the data available to us.
Scott E. Page starts us off talking about WHY. This is an often overlooked piece of any business work. The why. Why do we do something? Why do we care? Why use X over Y? And so on...
In this case Pag ...more
Scott E. Page starts us off talking about WHY. This is an often overlooked piece of any business work. The why. Why do we do something? Why do we care? Why use X over Y? And so on...
In this case Pag ...more
Doesn’t provide as much math as a textbook and doesn’t provide as much substance as a story/novel. Caught in between doing neither well.
I really like the subject of this book. Model thinking is one of the best subjects I have taken in Coursera. The concepts are really useful and practical. It helps you to frame your thinking about numerous things in our world.
I would not give this book a 5 stars because I think this subject is best convey through other format like videos, lectures, or course. The topic is a bit complex especially for those who ate not comfortable with numerical reasoning. By putting it in book format it limited ...more
I would not give this book a 5 stars because I think this subject is best convey through other format like videos, lectures, or course. The topic is a bit complex especially for those who ate not comfortable with numerical reasoning. By putting it in book format it limited ...more
Oct 26, 2018
Rachel
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
internet,
dnf,
research,
politics,
arc,
data,
economics,
non-fiction,
technology,
net-galley
Professor Page certainly introduces some interesting concepts in The Model Thinker. His overall aim here is to get you to use multiple models in your thinking, and the plethora of models provided will be an aid to any person out there.
That said, I found it rather difficult to get through. My attention wandered far more than I thought it would. I think that is just the nature of non-fiction sometimes. Even when interested in a subject, a book on it is not always enjoyable. Thus, my star rating sh ...more
That said, I found it rather difficult to get through. My attention wandered far more than I thought it would. I think that is just the nature of non-fiction sometimes. Even when interested in a subject, a book on it is not always enjoyable. Thus, my star rating sh ...more
OK. So, this is a beast which is neither fish nor fowl. It’s somewhere between popular science and a coursebook.
Many model thinking is so hot right now (see Munger, Parish etc etc.). This book kinda fits into that genre.
On the other hand, it is also a much more serious treatment of how to apply analytic models, and it’s almost a textbook for his course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/model-...
That said, the book doesn’t get into the nitty gritty of how to use each approach. That’s not necessari ...more
Many model thinking is so hot right now (see Munger, Parish etc etc.). This book kinda fits into that genre.
On the other hand, it is also a much more serious treatment of how to apply analytic models, and it’s almost a textbook for his course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/model-...
That said, the book doesn’t get into the nitty gritty of how to use each approach. That’s not necessari ...more
The title of this book is a little misleading. While the author provides a clear, informative overview of the different types of models and the kinds of problems they are regularly used to solve, he never touches on examples of where you might want to apply them. I was expecting a little more guidance on what this information means to me.
In spite of that, I could see this being very useful, and it did make me want to read more on some of the topics covered here.
In spite of that, I could see this being very useful, and it did make me want to read more on some of the topics covered here.
Here are my key takeaways from the book. I’ve found that the earlier chapters were more interesting to me as there were more statistical concepts at the start. There are many game theory models in the later chapters:
-Many-model approach: The book relies on a many-model approach. A given problem can usually be solved with several models. Also, different problems require different models. (pp. 5-6) Condorcet jury theorem: Many models are better than one model in a jury problem. If a judge is right ...more
-Many-model approach: The book relies on a many-model approach. A given problem can usually be solved with several models. Also, different problems require different models. (pp. 5-6) Condorcet jury theorem: Many models are better than one model in a jury problem. If a judge is right ...more
Fascinating read. It managed to explain a wide range of intense math/statistical topics in an approachable way. It is definitely more technical than a pop science book (Sapiens, Sixth Extinction) but more accessible than a textbook... take from that what you will. The true test will be if I retained any of it for use in daily/life. I certainly hope so.
Charlie Munger (the billionaire investor/partner of Warren Buffett) said: "The first rule is that you’ve got to have multiple models—because if you just have one or two that you’re using, the nature of human psychology is such that you’ll torture reality so that it fits your models, or at least you’ll think it does. You become the equivalent of a chiropractor who, of course, is the great boob in medicine.
It’s like the old saying, “To the man with only a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” ...more
It’s like the old saying, “To the man with only a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” ...more
After using Scott Page's previous work on path dependence models during my bachelor thesis, I was really excited when this book was suggested during my master. A beautiful book! It took me some time to go through all the introduced models but it was worth it!
...more
Read all but the 2nd-to-last and 3rd-to-last chapters, because I ran out of time before the book was due back at the library. I did read the final chapter. I found the book to be very dense, but interesting at times. The first 100 pages were tedious and largely review for me. There were some interesting nuggets from game theory, signaling models, random walks, and spatial vs. hedonic models. All in all, like an encyclopedia that would be best digested in 6+weeks, each chapter lulling you to slee
...more
Nice collection of models. If you have some behavioural science modelling experience a lot will be familiar. A rough sample: game theory stuff, epidemiological models, Markov models, some statistical distributions, learning models, network models. I found the explanations well done, the chapters are relatively short and lean more in the direction of intuition and application, but the basic equations are always featured and explained as well.
I'd recommend skipping the first two chapters, at leas ...more
I'd recommend skipping the first two chapters, at leas ...more
This books offers insight into so many disciplines by giving a primer of so many models and concepts, developed by different people for different problems encountered in the real world. While it can only be an introductory reading due to the vast number of models presented, it is still very dense and at times very technical. So be prepared to do some skimming if you want to get through it. But your horizon will be broadened.
This is a decent introduction to several modeling techniques. Its strength is its weakness: It delivers very short, descriptive introductions to the models, which means that a lot of important information is left out. Balancing brevity, adequate rigor, and readability for a book on modeling techniques would certainly be a tough task. Some chapters are more successful at this than others. Hopefully that helps you to decide if this is a good fit depending on what you're seeking.
...more
Apr 23, 2019
Héctor Iván Patricio Moreno
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
everyone-must-read,
programmers-must-read
This book is awesome. First, it heightened my appreciation for math. I've never had the opportunity to learn about models in such great detail and extensiveness. The book explains formally many models used to understand several problems and phenomenons that happen in the current world. The models help you understand in a mathematical and formal way some thoughts you may have intuitively and explain it. Other times, applying the same model to different problems makes you understand things you wou
...more
A somewhat dry, but unique text, that concisely presents a worldview it took me years of piecemeal study to stitch together from bits of economics, behavioral science, computer science, biology, complex systems, and beyond. You might think of it as “computational social science”, though it certainly extends further.
It does a very nice job of pointing to real-world scenarios that can be usefully analyzed by each model, and highlights topics of equity, diversity, and other pro-social values, speci ...more
It does a very nice job of pointing to real-world scenarios that can be usefully analyzed by each model, and highlights topics of equity, diversity, and other pro-social values, speci ...more
This is a great source of wisdom. 25 something general prediction models with simple math explanation, good examples and comprehensive insights. Many model approach reasonable as nothing else in this world. Invaluable food for thought!
Sep 01, 2021
Jung
added it
In an increasingly complex world, we need models to make sense of the perplexing systems around us. They can help us to explain the world, to create new designs, and to predict what’s coming next – but only if we’re careful to apply the right ones. In fact, to optimize our results, we should try to tackle a problem using as many diverse and relevant models as we can.
---
The key message here is: Modeling humans is a thorny endeavor.
People can be troublesome: if that’s true when it comes to real li ...more
---
The key message here is: Modeling humans is a thorny endeavor.
People can be troublesome: if that’s true when it comes to real li ...more
The case made by the author is that social systems are very complex and often have vast numbers of what could be causal forces at play. In physics, chemistry and biology, sciences from which social sciences emerge we have often had few enough variables that relatively simple models have been constructed since the enlightenment that are so surefooted at predicting fairly granular aspects of the future that we call them laws. The social sciences (economics, psychology, political science, sociology
...more
Models have not been this fashionable since Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer were strutting down catwalks in the 90's. The rise of big data, and high-profile debate over models for climate change and COVID have made mathematical models increasingly important. The Model Thinker does an admirable job explaining many different models, making a convincing case that using many models to investigate issues from different perspectives is a sensible approach.
Page provides 29 chapt ...more
Page provides 29 chapt ...more
This is a thorough coverage of various types of models that can help us apply to problems. A strong foundation in mathematics is helpful, as most of these models are spelled out formally via math, but not necessarily required. This book advocates for, importantly, a "many-models" approach to problem analysis: many people approach problems myopically, applying the models and intuitions that are most familiar to them to a problem, convincing themselves they have it all figured out - with unwarrant
...more
A tough read - not one you can simply breeze through - a revelation nonetheless, once you have managed to trundle through the first 50 pages. The Model Thinker spans across multiple disciplines, throwing light on the most critical models yet discovered or constructed for various contexts. After laying down the basics of a model, Prof. Page highlights the insights gleaned from the model's applications in the germane contexts.
Prof. Page takes care not to delve too deep into each model, for then, ...more
Prof. Page takes care not to delve too deep into each model, for then, ...more
Interesting and revealing, a guide to help think on today's complex problems
What's a model? How to use a model? Why to use a model? Any qualitative approach to apply a model? Only use 1 model or various? These are the questions that these book look to help to answer. It is fascinating as depending your area of expertise some model will be recognizable and others not. Maybe someone can say that many other models are not included, or not clear the difference what a model is, is the Standard Atomic ...more
What's a model? How to use a model? Why to use a model? Any qualitative approach to apply a model? Only use 1 model or various? These are the questions that these book look to help to answer. It is fascinating as depending your area of expertise some model will be recognizable and others not. Maybe someone can say that many other models are not included, or not clear the difference what a model is, is the Standard Atomic ...more
The agenda of this book is to convince the reader that using multiple models to attempt to understand a situation beats using a single model for most problems of interest.
He does so in a way that lets you enjoy the beauty of models and the surprise of the unexpected results. Very little math is involved, and what there is could be skipped easily.
The book as a whole will only be of interest, I think, to people who love to see how systems in the world work and don’t work. I was engrossed in it i ...more
He does so in a way that lets you enjoy the beauty of models and the surprise of the unexpected results. Very little math is involved, and what there is could be skipped easily.
The book as a whole will only be of interest, I think, to people who love to see how systems in the world work and don’t work. I was engrossed in it i ...more
Strong recommendation!
Key takeaway:
Either) Smartly choose the one out of many models that applies to the current scenario.
Or) Ensemble all the models, and get collective intelligence
Intuitions:
- Ensemble is more stable than putting all eggs into one basket.
- In real world, the conditions are more complicated, so be prepared to be surprised.
Toolbox of different models:
- Forest fire (bigger fires can be prevented by allowing smaller fires to get rid of some dry woods)
- Gaussian distribution vs. ...more
Key takeaway:
Either) Smartly choose the one out of many models that applies to the current scenario.
Or) Ensemble all the models, and get collective intelligence
Intuitions:
- Ensemble is more stable than putting all eggs into one basket.
- In real world, the conditions are more complicated, so be prepared to be surprised.
Toolbox of different models:
- Forest fire (bigger fires can be prevented by allowing smaller fires to get rid of some dry woods)
- Gaussian distribution vs. ...more
Really good introductory text for many aspects of data analysis. Quite a comprehensive suite of statistical models explained and with a variety of applications. For the models I’m familIar with (e.g Agent-Based simulations) the author does well to reference appropriate literature for further investigation into more comprehensive texts, which gave me confidence that the same care was taken with models that I am not familiar with - thus trusting the author to point me in the right direction. One a
...more
Data -> Information -> Knowledge -> Wisdom
Basically sums the "Model Thinking" Course by the same professor.
The style in which the book was written, makes it a perfect handbook/manual for class...
And I guess that regardless of one's background, and with enough openness, you can discern magical phenomena (obviously it's just that we ignore how stuff work), while reading this book.
Now back to the oldest idea about models as mere reductions, and are not reliable or so: Yes they are reductions, and a ...more
Basically sums the "Model Thinking" Course by the same professor.
The style in which the book was written, makes it a perfect handbook/manual for class...
And I guess that regardless of one's background, and with enough openness, you can discern magical phenomena (obviously it's just that we ignore how stuff work), while reading this book.
Now back to the oldest idea about models as mere reductions, and are not reliable or so: Yes they are reductions, and a ...more
Well crafted with clear examples, and no excessive formulae to intimidate non-experts (the detailed formulae are boxed away or footnoted rather than in the main body of text). The book is an overview only, not diving deep into any particular model, and achieves what it intends to: Suggest the many available models and how combining them can help people plan better, to achieve better results in a complex interactive world. Such an approach is extremely useful today, when you can easily look up mo
...more
For the thinking minds that desire clarity with complex data or social issues. I had a really great time reading this book. Having recently graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree, I found some chapters to be trivial and some to be concepts I had never thought of or ever actually understood. The book has been beneficial during the read and I hope to reference this book as I move forward in life. This by no means goes into detail of any one model but rather adequately explains the importan
...more
Overall, the book accomplishes its goal of introducing many different models. The writing is clear, and technical concepts are explained well without superfluous detail or jargon. That said, the book would benefit from better organization of the models — grouping chapters together, or contextualizing them so readers start each chapter with an idea of how and when they might apply the model. As is, each model is explained clearly, but it is on the reader to generalize and recognize when the model
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Goodreads is hiring!
38 users
31 users
29 users
19 users
13 users
10 users
10 users
8 users
6 users
6 users
Related Articles
Luvvie Ajayi Jones—author, cultural critic, digital entrepreneur—might be best described as a professional truthteller. Her crazily popular...
53 likes · 0 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Concave functions have slopes that decrease. Concave functions with positive slopes exhibit diminishing returns:”
—
0 likes
“A node’s betweenness score equals the percentage of minimal paths that go through a node. In a social network, people with high betweenness scores know more information and wield more power.”
—
0 likes
More quotes…
