The Great Mental Models, Volume 2: Physics, Chemistry and Biology

by Shane Parrish

Instead, he let the reality of ice expansion determine the design of his ship.

‘How can I work with the world, not against it?”

Taking action that works with the world is more effective, less stressful, and ultimately more rewarding. We don’t waste our time fighting to accomplish the impossible.

Work WITH nature. Note against it. At one with nature. In accordance to nature.

Pick a new model every day, apply it to a situation you are in, and see if you can improve your understanding and decision-making.

Empathy

When you see someone doing something that doesn’t make sense to you, ask yourself what the world would have to look like to you for those actions to make sense.

Making efforts to understand someone’s view helps you understand their frame, their set of beliefs and biases that guide how they see their world.

Perspective often comes from distance or time. If you’re trying to solve a problem and you’re stuck, try shifting your vantage point.

Many problems become clearer if you extend the timeline. What does this situation look like in the weeks, months, and years ahead?

Multiple perspectives layered together reduce blind spots and offer us a more textured and truer sense of the underlying reality.