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Everything We Think Is a Model
Systems / Principles · Updated Jul 2026
You don't see reality. You see a compressed, filtered model of it.
The Idea
Your senses sample the world. Your brain compresses the samples into stories. The stories run, predict, update. What you experience is the model, not the world.
Why It Matters
- "Being objective" is impossible — there's always a model.
- Disagreements are often model collisions, not value collisions.
- Swapping models is how you change your understanding.
How to Apply
- Name your models. Keep several for the same thing.
- When the world surprises you, update the model, not the world.
- Ask what someone else's model is — not just their conclusion.
The Humility
Your model is wrong. So is everyone else's. The goal isn't to have the right model but to keep improving it.
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