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The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts Hardcover – December 1, 2018
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THE MUCH ANTICIPATED FIRST INSTALLMENT IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLING SERIES ‘THE GREAT MENTAL MODELS’.
Solve problems. Think with clarity. Achieve your goals.
The secret to better decision-making is learning things that won’t change. Mastering a small number of versatile concepts with broad applicability enables you to rapidly grasp new areas, identify patterns, and understand how the world works. Don’t waste your time on knowledge with an expiry date - focus on the fundamentals.
The Farnam Street latticework of mental models gives you the durable cognitive tools you need to avoid problems and make better decisions.
A mental model is a representation of how something works. Constructing mental models helps you to navigate the world efficiently and intelligently. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have found mental models indispensable in both solving problems and preventing them in the first place. Cultivating stronger mental models is one of the most powerful things you can do to become a better thinker.
The Great Mental Models: Volume 1 covers essential general thinking models.
Formal education doesn’t prepare you to make decisions in the real world. This volume details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models they didn’t teach you in school which you can use right away to improve how clearly you understand the world. Discover the forces governing the universe and how to focus your efforts so you can harness them to your advantage, rather than fight them or worse yet— ignore them.
Volume 1 will teach you how to:
- Eliminate blind spots by learning to distinguish between maps and territory
- Increase your chances of success in any endeavor by staying within your circle of competence
- Unleash creative ability and navigate complex situations with ease through first principles thinking
- Expand your conception of what’s possible by carrying out thought experiments
- See opportunities others miss using second-order thinking
- Improve the accuracy of your decisions with probabilistic thinking
- Invert problems to avoid disaster
- Leverage Occam’s razor to bypass unnecessary complexity
And so much more...
Mastering The Great Mental Models helps you thrive in an uncertain world. The right cognitive tools prepare you for any type of challenge. From parenting to healthy eating, relationships to personal productivity, and from learning to product design, this book will give you new lenses for understanding life.
A wonderful resource you’ll keep returning to year after year. As you incorporate the models in this book into your mental toolbox, you’ll see the world with fresh eyes.
START BUILDING YOUR LATTICEWORK TODAY!
Praise for The Great Mental Models series:
“I’m really glad this exists in the world and I can see that I will be recommending it often.”
— Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, founder and CEO of Automattic
“If you’ve read Charlie Munger’s Almanack this is the book you deeply crave in its wake. … Learn the big ideas from the big disciplines and you’ll be able to twist and turn problems in interesting ways at unprecedented speeds. … You owe yourself this book.”
— Simon Eskildsen
“This is what non-fiction books should aspire to be like. Informative, concise, universal, practical, visual, sharing stories and examples for context. Definitely, a must-read if you’re into universal multi-disciplinary thinking.”
— Carl Rannaberg
“I can truly say it is one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting lost in. I loved the book and the challenges to conventional wisdom and thinking it presents.”
— Rod Berryman
“Want to learn? Read This! This should be a standard text for high school and university students.”
— Code Cubitt
- Print length190 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLatticework Publishing Inc.
- Publication dateDecember 1, 2018
- Dimensions7.5 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-101999449002
- ISBN-13978-1999449001
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Get to know this book
What's it about?
This book is about how to make better decisions by learning things that won't change.Popular highlight
Our failures to update from interacting with reality spring primarily from three things: not having the right perspective or vantage point, ego-induced denial, and distance from the consequences of our decisions.8,934 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
When understanding is separated from reality, we lose our powers. Understanding must constantly be tested against reality and updated accordingly.6,884 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
The third flaw is distance. The further we are from the results of our decisions, the easier it is to keep our current views rather than update them.6,846 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
The first flaw is perspective. We have a hard time seeing any system that we are in.6,845 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
Understanding only becomes useful when we adjust our behavior and actions accordingly.6,656 Kindle readers highlighted this
Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Back Cover
About the Author
Founder of Farnam Street in Ottawa, Canada. Farnam Street (FS) is one of the world’s fastest growing websites, dedicated to helping our readers master the best of what other people have already figured out.We curate, examine and explore the timeless ideas and mental models that history’s brightest minds have used to live lives of purpose. Our readers include students, teachers, CEOs, coaches, athletes, artists, leaders, followers, politicians and more. They’re not defined by gender, age, income, or politics but rather by a shared passion for avoiding problems, making better decisions, and lifelong learning.
Product details
- Publisher : Latticework Publishing Inc. (December 1, 2018)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 190 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1999449002
- ISBN-13 : 978-1999449001
- Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.5 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #36,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #62 in Business Decision Making
- #121 in Decision-Making & Problem Solving
- #861 in Success Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
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M.M.
About the authors
Shane Parrish is an entrepreneur, investor, and the wisdom seeker behind the popular website Farnam Street where he writes about hidden insights that you can use in life and business.
Parrish is a regular speaker and his work has been featured in places like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Economist. His popular "Brain Food" newsletter is sent out to over 600k people each week and his podcast, The Knowledge Project, is one of the top in the world.
Parrish’s popular online course, Decision by Design, has helped thousands of executives, leaders, and managers worldwide learn the repeatable behaviors that improve decision-making results in the real world.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an excellent overview of mental frameworks that all leaders should be familiar with. They also describe the reading experience as good and the book as very useful. Opinions are mixed on readability, with some finding it concise and specific, while others say it's poorly written and difficult to grasp.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book an excellent overview of mental frameworks that all leaders should be familiar with. They also like the examples and explanations of the models. Readers say the book is a quick read and straight to the point. They say it provides great reminders and a perfect balance of anecdotes from history to showcase the mental models presented.
"The book is great and it is worth pondering every single mental model he describes...." Read more
"This book is an easy read and contains very intelligent thoughts, explanations and guidance...." Read more
"A fun read with a perfect balance of anecdotes from history to showcase the mental models presented. Short and easy read...." Read more
"I liked this book a lot, it gave me some great reminders and some new reminders to reflect on...." Read more
Customers find the book a good read with short and concise chapters. They also appreciate the fun and good advice.
"The book is great and it is worth pondering every single mental model he describes...." Read more
"If you are interested in patterns, this is a great book." Read more
"A fun read with a perfect balance of anecdotes from history to showcase the mental models presented. Short and easy read...." Read more
"...Unless you are an expert, it’s worth reading and keeping it handy. Where it could have been better is mostly when Shane writes examples...." Read more
Customers find the book very useful and good stuff.
"...This is the most accessible of the three books and very useful...." Read more
"I have a number of books on mental models and find this the most valuable, interesting to read, and love the history and examples...." Read more
"Straightforward and valuable in presenting the first round of mental models. Good examples to illustrate. Will be most useful with repeated readings." Read more
"...Excellent and very much needed written work on how to apply mental models to thinking about and solving life’s problems as quickly as possible..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book. Some find it concisely written, while others say it's poorly written, hard to understand, and too simple.
"This book is an easy read and contains very intelligent thoughts, explanations and guidance...." Read more
"...and causation chapter is not average person-friendly, and is hard to understand.but it could be improved from a math perspective." Read more
"...Short and easy read. Will continue with the other volumes." Read more
"...But the execution is simplistic, the text is short and the content reads like a short story, amidst a recommendation brochure...." Read more
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The only complaint I have is the naturalistic viewpoint that is preached in some parts of the book. I believe the author fails to apply the very thing he’s advocating for when he does that: a rational analysis of what is said. Take the Sagan example and do it by yourself, he throws one phrase from a scientist in the air as if the phrase was a scientific argument, which is clearly not. Note that the phrase in question is so damaging that it has been used many times to discredit important recent scientific discoveries.
Anyways, my 2 cents: focus on what the author do best and forget about his wandering into metaphysics.
But from my perspective, 40% of its content is redundant and could be simplified.
The introduction chapter is redundant and hard for people to understand what is the focus.
The correlation and causation chapter is not average person-friendly, and is hard to understand.
but it could be improved from a math perspective.
Top reviews from other countries
- O mapa não é o território: embora úteis para conhecer, não é possível descrever a realidade com leis absolutas, use os mapas ao seu favor mas entenda suas limitações
- Circulo de competência: entenda que você não sabe de tudo, não deixe seu ego interferir decisões. Aprenda, use e veja o resultado, use feedback alheio para melhorar.
- Ponderamento através de princípios: foque em entender os conceitos e não a estratégia detalhada, entendendo o fundamento você monta a própria estratégia e consegue ver erros nas vigentes
- Imaginação das possibilidades: faça perguntas para compreender conceitos e coisas, imagine possibilidades fora do normal para entender até onde aquela coisa chega, como ela funciona em determinada situação.
- Imaginação das consequências: pense no resultado que a sua decisão irá causar, muitas vezes uma decisão ruim agora é a melhor para o longo prazo, as vezes uma ação boa agora acarretará em ruína no futuro.
- Pensamento probabilístico: use matemática e lógica para estimar chances e ter uma perspectiva melhor do problema, bote as opções lado a lado antes de ponderar.
- Inversão: ao invés de começar pelo inicio, comece pelo final. Pergunte-se o que precisaria acontecer para esse resultado ser real. Alternadamente, com um objetivo em mente, ao invés do melhor caminho, procure evitar os piores. -
- Occams razor: a explicação mais simples geralmente é a correta.
- Hanlons razor: As pessoas que te causam mal não fazem por vilãnia, fazem por ignorância, estupidez ou preguiça. Não leve para o pessoal.
Reviewed in Brazil on June 20, 2024
- O mapa não é o território: embora úteis para conhecer, não é possível descrever a realidade com leis absolutas, use os mapas ao seu favor mas entenda suas limitações
- Circulo de competência: entenda que você não sabe de tudo, não deixe seu ego interferir decisões. Aprenda, use e veja o resultado, use feedback alheio para melhorar.
- Ponderamento através de princípios: foque em entender os conceitos e não a estratégia detalhada, entendendo o fundamento você monta a própria estratégia e consegue ver erros nas vigentes
- Imaginação das possibilidades: faça perguntas para compreender conceitos e coisas, imagine possibilidades fora do normal para entender até onde aquela coisa chega, como ela funciona em determinada situação.
- Imaginação das consequências: pense no resultado que a sua decisão irá causar, muitas vezes uma decisão ruim agora é a melhor para o longo prazo, as vezes uma ação boa agora acarretará em ruína no futuro.
- Pensamento probabilístico: use matemática e lógica para estimar chances e ter uma perspectiva melhor do problema, bote as opções lado a lado antes de ponderar.
- Inversão: ao invés de começar pelo inicio, comece pelo final. Pergunte-se o que precisaria acontecer para esse resultado ser real. Alternadamente, com um objetivo em mente, ao invés do melhor caminho, procure evitar os piores. -
- Occams razor: a explicação mais simples geralmente é a correta.
- Hanlons razor: As pessoas que te causam mal não fazem por vilãnia, fazem por ignorância, estupidez ou preguiça. Não leve para o pessoal.