Models for thinking

None of these are particularly revolutionary, but it helps to have them listed so you can use them actively to your benefit (rather than hoping these tools fall into your hand).

Line on a spectrum

Many things that seem black-or-white are simply just different lines on a spectrum. Think of the spectrum as a horizontal line, and the “line” as a point (or a vertical line that you wouldn’t cross). For example, for some, any lie is too far. While others may be okay with white lies (“I’m busy today” when you aren’t) and others may be fine with outright lying too (“I know for a fact this product does not harm you” - even when you know it does).

This also applies to a lot of ethical and societal conundrums of the day. Like what kind of personal and social freedoms you are willing to demand/tolerate/deny. Concretely, take a possible debate in the late 1800s. Should women be allowed to vote? You could imagine the spectrum consisting of “everyone should be allowed to vote” on one end and “no one” on the other. Most people in the late 1800s likely placed themselves somewhere between men should be allowed to vote (on the left) and women should be allowed to vote (on the right). The law also lies somewhere on the spectrum. When society greatly differs from the law, the law would need to get demanded.

This helps build empathy and better understanding for those who have differing opinions from yours. They are not plain “wrong”, they are just a little further along in the spectrum (in whatever direction).

The “benchmark”

Came up with this when my partner was trying to find an apartment. They wanted to find an apartment with A/C, a balcony, 3000 sq. ft of floor space (exaggerating) and also not more than 1000$ in rent. I suggested they instead look for apartments and set the first apartment they look at as “the benchmark”. As in, that’s the apartment they’ll take if they find nothing better. If you find something better, then you can choose that, rather than go hunting for an “ideal apartment of my dreams that may not exist”. This can help unblock those struck with decision paralysis when shopping. These days, I see a lot of people thinking about jobs this way too: “I want a job that pays me more than my current job, but it should also be less stressful and a more interesting area to work in.” Maybe “the benchmark” can help. The secretary problem, which has been solved mathematically (!!) is another interesting read in this space (apparently it’s a field called “decision theory”… humans are incredible).

The extremes

Sometimes, thinking about what things will look like at the extremes can help you gain an insight on a topic that seems intractable at first. Starting with a small example to better understand the larger problem is something I picked up from competitive programming, but this can be applied to more general problems as well. For example, in the nature v/s nurture debate (are you born talented or is it something that comes only through sheer hard work), I found it useful to take an extreme example. Specifically, if one person did basketball drills (taking shots, dribbling) while the other studied chess games, it’s almost certain that the person that did the drills will be better at basketball. This let me conclude that nurture definitely plays a role. I’ve detailed some of my thoughts on hard work here, and compiled a list of references of people talking about hard work here.