{"id":76359,"date":"2022-08-11T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T18:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=76359"},"modified":"2022-08-24T09:13:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T13:13:31","slug":"the-map-is-not-the-territory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-map-is-not-the-territory\/","title":{"rendered":"The Map Is Not the Territory: The Limitations of Maps &#038; Models"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does &#8220;the map is not the territory&#8221; mean? What practical lesson can we learn from this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alfred Korzybski, a scientist and a philosopher, keenly observed that \u201cthe map is not the territory.\u201d He meant that a representation (the map) is not the thing it represents (the territory); it\u2019s merely an abstraction of the thing itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continue reading to learn what practical implications this principle has for all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-map-is-not-the-territory\">The Map Is Not the Territory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first volume of <em>The Great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/increase-focus\/\">Mental Models<\/a> <\/em>series, Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish and content strategist Rhiannon Beaubien explain how to think about mental models as maps. In fact, the authors treat \u201cmaps\u201d and \u201cmodels\u201d as synonymous terms. Given this, the authors\u2019 argument is that the limitations of real, physical maps (&#8220;the map is not the territory&#8221;) also apply to mental models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parrish and Beaubien argue that maps are invaluable tools\u2014they help us navigate the world by giving <em>simplified representations<\/em> of the terrain. But, to use them effectively, remember that <strong>maps aren\u2019t <\/strong><strong><em>literal pictures <\/em><\/strong><strong>of the territory they describe, nor do they provide every piece of information available about that territory.<\/strong> Rather, they give only the information you need for your specific purpose. For example, if you\u2019re driving to Yellowstone National Park, you\u2019d want a road map that includes landmarks (such as Old Faithful); you would have no use for a relief map of the same region that shows where public hunting land is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>All Models Are Wrong<\/strong><br><br>In 1976, the British statistician George Box stated that <a href=\"https:\/\/jamesclear.com\/all-models-are-wrong\">\u201call models are wrong, some are useful.\u201d<\/a> In essence, this captures the reality that no model or map can ever perfectly represent the real world.&nbsp;<br><br>As the authors suggest, this is because the world is infinitely large and complex, while models and maps attempt to simplify things into finite representations. Much of the scientific establishment dedicates its work to refining scientific models in increasingly nuanced and precise ways\u2014however, in most cases, <em>useful<\/em> is a better criterion than <em>perfect<\/em>.&nbsp;<br><br>This invokes a popular principle from Stoicism: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/focus-on-what-you-can-control\/\">Focus on what you can control<\/a> rather than what you can\u2019t. Your maps will never be perfect or complete, no matter what you do\u2014for instance, numerous beliefs and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/quora\/2017\/09\/27\/these-scientific-theories-were-accepted-once-but-were-later-proven-wrong\/?sh=73051a524da2\">theories that once guided the world have been overturned<\/a> and replaced with newer ideas. This highlights that living effectively comes not from perfect, flawless knowledge, but from the ability to act decisively despite imperfect knowledge.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Because maps exclude most aspects of the territory in order to be useful, they have certain limitations<\/strong>. The authors stress that if you fail to recognize these limitations, you risk making poor decisions. Keep these two limitations in mind:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Limitation #1: Maps are time-bound<\/strong>. We make maps at certain points in time, but maps don\u2019t automatically change as the world does. This means that maps go out of date. Outdated maps can lead to bad decisions and mistaken beliefs. Similarly, when using a model, consider whether it\u2019s still useful or if the thinking needs to be updated. (Shortform note: A Shortform guide operates in this way; our commentary often expands or updates ideas from older books (\u201cmaps\u201d), helping offset the time-bound nature of the information.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Limitation #2: Maps are reductions<\/strong>. Remember that the territory and its map are different\u2014many things have been excluded from the map that you\u2019ll run into in real life. If you forget this, the authors say that you risk dogmatically forcing your maps to \u201cwork,\u201d even when they no longer fit reality. For example, a pothole is not going to be on the map, but you would drive around one. You should have the same flexibility in your thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: On a similar note, Donella Meadows says in <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thinking-in-systems\"><em>Thinking in Systems<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>that we need to consistently update our models of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/complicated-system\/\">complex systems<\/a>. Much of the time, something you think you understand will appear to change or behave differently than you expected. When this happens, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/thinking-in-systems#improving-as-a-systems-thinker\">you need to update your model, revising it to reflect the new information you\u2019ve learned<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shortform advice for applying this model: <\/strong>Model #1 is a set of principles to remember rather than a technique to implement. Use these principles by looking for \u201cmaps\u201d in your everyday life. When you recognize one, remember that it only contains limited information, it might be outdated, and it may or may not be useful for your specific purpose. If it\u2019s not, then find a new map.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does &#8220;the map is not the territory&#8221; mean? What practical lesson can we learn from this? Alfred Korzybski, a scientist and a philosopher, keenly observed that \u201cthe map is not the territory.\u201d He meant that a representation (the map) is not the thing it represents (the territory); it\u2019s merely an abstraction of the thing itself. Continue reading to learn what practical implications this principle has for all of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":76362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,160,43],"tags":[724],"class_list":["post-76359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","category-science","category-self-improvement","tag-the-great-mental-models-volume-1","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Map Is Not the Territory: The Limitations of Maps &amp; Models - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The map is not the territory, just as the word is not the thing. 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