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Great Mental Models Vol 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the mental model of Relativity?

A

Relativity teaches us that perspectives are context-dependent. Understanding others’ viewpoints helps us see situations more clearly and make more informed decisions.

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2
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What is the mental model of Reciprocity?

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Reciprocity is the principle that actions tend to be returned in kind. It’s foundational to cooperation and social interactions.

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3
Q

What is the mental model of Thermodynamics?

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Thermodynamics teaches us about energy conservation and entropy, highlighting the inevitable movement toward disorder unless energy is applied.

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4
Q

What is the mental model of Inertia?

A

Inertia is the resistance to change in motion or behavior. In life, it reflects our tendency to stick with the status quo unless acted upon.

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5
Q

What is the mental model of Friction and Viscosity?

A

These models describe resistance in systems. Reducing friction can often be more effective than increasing effort.

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6
Q

What is the mental model of Velocity?

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Velocity is speed with direction. It’s not just about moving fast, but moving purposefully toward a goal.

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7
Q

What is the mental model of Leverage?

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Leverage involves using tools, processes, or knowledge to amplify outcomes with less input.

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8
Q

What are Kinetic and Potential Energy in mental models?

A

Kinetic energy is energy in motion; potential energy is stored energy. Recognizing where energy is and how it can be transformed is powerful in strategy and growth.

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9
Q

What is the mental model of Activation Energy?

A

Activation Energy is the initial effort required to start a process. Understanding it helps in overcoming procrastination and initiating change.

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10
Q

What is the mental model of Catalysts?

A

Catalysts accelerate change without being consumed. In life, they represent people, tools, or ideas that enable rapid progress.

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11
Q

What is the mental model of Alloying?

A

Alloying means combining elements to create strength. It applies to blending skills, teams, or ideas for stronger results.

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12
Q

What does Evolution Part One teach?

A

It explains how environmental pressures shape survival. Adaptation is essential, and failure to adapt leads to extinction.

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13
Q

What is Evolution Part Two about?

A

It focuses on how quickly one must adapt just to maintain relative position—’running to stay in place’.

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14
Q

What is the mental model of Competition?

A

Competition drives innovation and survival. It’s a zero-sum game over finite resources, applicable in nature and business.

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15
Q

What is the mental model of Ecosystem?

A

Ecosystems show interconnectedness. Changing one element affects the whole system—true in biology, business, and society.

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16
Q

What is the mental model of Niches?

A

A niche is a specialized role or environment. Success often depends on finding and thriving within the right niche.

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17
Q

What is the model of Self-Preservation?

A

It is the instinct to protect oneself. This drive influences behavior and decision-making under risk.

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18
Q

What is the model of Replication?

A

Replication is the duplication of successful traits or strategies. It’s foundational to learning and scalability.

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19
Q

What is the model of Cooperation?

A

Cooperation involves working together for mutual benefit. It enables outcomes not achievable alone.

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20
Q

What is Dunbar’s Number?

A

Dunbar’s Number refers to the cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable relationships (around 150).

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21
Q

What is the model of Hierarchical Organization?

A

Hierarchies are natural ways to manage complexity and resources. They’re prevalent in biological and social systems.

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22
Q

What is the mental model of Incentives?

A

Incentives drive behavior. Understanding what motivates others is key to influencing outcomes.

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23
Q

What is this biological tendency?

A

Organisms naturally seek to conserve energy. This explains resistance to change and the preference for easier paths.

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24
Q

What is Convergent Evolution?

A

It describes how unrelated species evolve similar traits when faced with similar challenges. It illustrates recurring optimal solutions.

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25
What is Tit for Tat?
A game theory strategy where you begin by cooperating and then mirror your opponent’s previous move. Effective in iterated games and promotes fairness and trust when combined with forgiveness.
26
What is Loss Aversion?
A concept from behavioral economics indicating that losses loom larger than gains. People are more motivated to avoid losses than to acquire equivalent gains.
27
What are Thought Experiments?
Mental simulations used to explore complex scenarios and gain insights, often when physical experimentation is impossible. Used by Galileo and Einstein to challenge and reshape understanding.
28
What is Commander’s Intent (Auftragstaktik)?
A military strategy model for flexible replication: subordinate commanders are empowered to adapt tactics to meet strategic objectives without needing step-by-step instructions.
29
What is Velocity as Tactic?
Napoleon’s principle of speed with direction—using momentum to overwhelm the opposition and adjust quickly to changing conditions.
30
What is Perspective-Taking?
A psychological and cognitive skill involving understanding the world from another person’s viewpoint.
31
What is Reflection and Journaling?
Encouraged as a learning tool to evaluate use of mental models. Journaling helps consolidate experience into learning through intentional review and application.
32
What does 'Work With the World, Not Against It' mean?
A tactic illustrated by the Fram ship metaphor: successful strategies often involve adapting to environmental forces instead of resisting them.
33
What is the Sweet Spot of Replication?
A balance between rigidity and flexibility when copying successful systems or behaviors.
34
What is Clear Communication?
A supporting tactic for velocity. Clarity allows faster, more effective execution.
35
What are Multiple Perspectives?
Combining different viewpoints (physical or conceptual) yields more accurate understanding and reduces blind spots.
36
What is Escape Velocity?
A metaphor from physics used to describe the energy threshold needed not just to overcome inertia, but to sustain a new direction without being pulled back.
37
What is Equilibrium?
A system’s natural tendency to balance out over time—socially, biologically, and thermodynamically. Often requires energy investment to prevent or delay.
38
What does Entropy as a Metaphor for Disorder signify?
Used across domains to describe how systems drift into chaos unless energy is applied to maintain order.
39
What is the Value of Contrast?
True growth and development arise from the friction of opposing forces. Equilibrium can stagnate change; contrast drives evolution, politics, and innovation.
40
How do Narratives function as Entropy-Control Tools?
Fairy tales and myths create shared understanding to reduce social chaos. They are ancient mechanisms for organizing complexity and shaping cultural behavior.
41
What is Territorial Behavior?
A form of self-preservation where energy is invested in securing access to resources and opportunities—useful as a metaphor in strategy and competition.
42
What are Vestigial Structures?
Traits left over from evolutionary processes that no longer serve a function. ## Footnote A reminder that systems and organizations often carry obsolete features that no longer serve current needs.
43
What is the Law of the Minimum?
A system’s output is constrained by its scarcest resource, not the total resources available. ## Footnote Also appears in productivity, business, and systems thinking.
44
What are Keystone Species?
Organisms that play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem structure. ## Footnote Metaphorically applied to people or ideas that hold systems together.
45
What is Surface Tension?
A concept from physics describing the resistance at the boundary between two substances. ## Footnote Used metaphorically for communication environments and resistance to change.
46
What are Desire Paths?
Naturally formed routes that reflect real human behavior over intended design. ## Footnote A metaphor for energy minimization and reality-based planning.
47
What are Heuristics and Satisficing?
Cognitive shortcuts that reduce mental energy use. ## Footnote Not perfect, but often good enough under uncertainty.
48
What is the difference between Resilience and Resistance?
Resistance = ability to withstand disturbance; resilience = speed of recovery. ## Footnote Strong systems need both, especially in ecology and leadership.
49
What are Feedback Loops?
Reinforcing (positive) loops accelerate change; stabilizing (negative) loops maintain balance.
50
What is Intervention Bias?
Tendency to act or intervene unnecessarily, often making systems worse. ## Footnote Applies to ecosystems, economies, and personal habits.
51
What does Friction as a Weapon mean?
Beyond obstacle, friction can be used strategically to slow down competitors or processes.
52
What is Lean Manufacturing as a Tactic?
Emphasizing problem-solving, initiative, and reducing systemic friction for efficiency and adaptability.
53
What is the Competitive Exclusion Principle?
Two species competing for the exact same resources in the same niche cannot coexist indefinitely. One will outcompete the other, which must adapt, migrate, or go extinct. ## Footnote Also known as Gause’s Law.
54
What is the Allee Effect?
A population threshold below which a species cannot sustain itself due to insufficient reproduction or cooperation. ## Footnote Used to explain hidden early extinction risk.
55
What is the difference between Generalists and Specialists?
Generalists thrive in varied environments and resist change better, while Specialists dominate stable conditions but are highly vulnerable to disruption.
56
What does the Social Division of Labor refer to?
A concept within human and animal behavior that emphasizes specialization among members of a group to increase overall adaptability and efficiency.
57
What is Cultural Replication?
Ideas, norms, or products that can replicate across populations tend to combine a strong identity with flexibility. ## Footnote Examples include tea culture and language evolution.
58
What is the focus of Error Management in Replication?
Evolution favors replication systems that minimize the impact of harmful mutations and tolerate some variability. ## Footnote Applies to both genetic and strategic replication.
59
What is Exaptation?
A biological model where traits evolved for one purpose are repurposed for another. ## Footnote Encourages flexibility, creativity, and resourcefulness.
60
Define Functional Fixedness.
A cognitive bias where people limit the use of tools or knowledge to their original purpose. ## Footnote Overcoming this is framed as key to innovation.
61
What does Knowledge as an Alloy refer to?
The concept that true knowledge is a mix of theory, experience, curiosity, and reflection. ## Footnote Referenced with Aristotle’s five forms of knowledge.
62
What is Disproportional Wear and Tear?
A metaphor from mechanics indicating that parts of a system facing different stress levels need tailored solutions. ## Footnote Applies to team structure, investment, and design.
63
How is Storytelling used as an Entropy Control Tool?
Narratives help organize chaos and provide structure for meaning and understanding. ## Footnote Similar to how fairy tales do across cultures.
64
What distinguishes a Boss from a Leader?
An applied model distinguishing authority from leadership, where leadership often operates without formal power. ## Footnote Thrives in adaptive environments.
65
What is Behavioral Conditioning?
Explains how infrequent but consistent reinforcement (intermittent rewards) is more effective for learning and behavior shaping than constant rewards. ## Footnote This principle is key to understanding effective learning techniques.
66
Define Convergence in problem-solving.
The tendency of unrelated systems or cultures to develop similar solutions when faced with similar problems. ## Footnote Highlights the universality of problem-solving patterns.
67
What is Perspective Multiplication?
Gaining insight by layering multiple cultural or disciplinary viewpoints. ## Footnote Stories like al-Tahtawi’s illustrate this approach to learning and change.
68
What does the Fram Strategy entail?
Work With, Not Against the World, yielding to natural forces instead of resisting them. ## Footnote Named after the ship Fram, which succeeded by this adaptive strategy.

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