Latticework book

[jacob]

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Thinking-B ... 525533583/

I didn't think it could be done but someone went ahead and did it anyway. They did a good job too. If only the title/cover design hadn't been so gimmicky. It betrays the much more serious/adulting content inside. Then again, we all make mistakes

It was interesting to read and nod along.

However, I am somewhat torn about this kind of approach. As the authors also point out in the conclusion, there's a difference between knowing something and just knowing the name of something. Given the scope one will mostly end up with a loose idea of the concept only: enough to blabber about it but not enough to apply it well; probably just enough to get oneself in trouble. "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing ..." The conclusion also highlights Munger's comment about reading so much that his kids think he's a book with legs to make the point that it takes more than reading this book to actually know. It's a very good overview though.

[AxelHeyst]

Have you read the Farnam Street book(s) on mental models? Are they comparable? I haven't read any of them but I've been on the lookout for good latticework books, thanks for the recommendation.

[jacob]

I haven't.

[fingeek]

A lot of the Farnham Street material on mental models can be found at https://fs.blog/mental-models/ - Probably not as in depth as the book of course, but is a good starting point (and worth the long read)

[mountainFrugal]

The examples in the Farnam street books are mostly just extensions of the blog posts. I enjoyed the Super Thinking book more especially knowing that the authors are putting all these to work for running DuckDuckGo, consulting, parenting etc. The Farnam street series/blog goes into more examples whereas the Super Thinking book was a bit more of a large list with some narrative/examples/anecdotes sprinkled in. As already mentioned the real challenge is coming up with examples and counter examples in your own life where you did or could have applied these models.

[peterlimberg]

I did a recent workshop on mental models for Rebel Wisdom's "Becoming a Live Player" course. We mention this book a few times. Here it is: https://youtu.be/jDem_2Npm_I

In the workshop we discussed three failure modes of the mental model approach: creating jargon salads (aka sounding pretentious), lazing thinking, and disembodied thinking. I think it is overall worth it having a toolbox of mental models though.

Peter Wang's series on mental models at The Stoa was really good btw: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoZ5 ... 2EaUhS0a1Q

[daylen]

@peter Interesting stuff. I will be attempting to catch up with all the great content coming from The Stoa for the foreseeable future!

I have a challenge/experiment: Put together a team to create a shared drawing(*) without typing or talking over a fixed period of time. Shapes, color, freehand, and body language are all allowed. The test is to see how well the team can improvise in the moment to create an engaging story and interpret what happened after the time is up (i.e. do the stories cohere and harmonize? .. or disintegrate and polarize?).

(*) With something like Jamboard.

[J_]

I have a challenge/experiment: Put together a team to create a shared drawing(*) without typing or talking over a fixed period of time. Shapes, color, freehand, and body language are all allowed. The test is to see how well the team can improvise in the moment to create an engaging story and interpret what happened after the time is up (i.e. do the stories cohere and harmonize? .. or disintegrate and polarize?).

Years ago a dear friend, DW and me made together a painting. To express how we had lived and enjoyed life together for a period of about 5 years in a marvelous little place direct on the coast/beach of Cornwall UK. The next month we would leave our friend, and emigrate for another country, so it was also a farewell.

In the end it became a painted story of all highlights we had done together, the walkings around, the flowers of the spring, the "kissing gates", the kayak-trips around the coast, the trees, the terrace for our house, the birds in the air, the cows and cow-pads.

We have the painting still, and from time to time I look at it, a wonderful remembrance.