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Models Are Killing People
How the brain’s natural attempt to simplify things puts people in danger.
Yes, I said models. No, we’re not talking stiletto wielding fashion divas.
Rather, this is a look at how the brain’s short cuts are creating fear, oppression, and bigotry the world over.
Misconceptions are blowing up buildings, organizing mass shootings, and locking children in cages due to the brain’s oversimplification of race, religion, and the perception of “Others.”
If you want a quick example. . . there’s currently an assumption about internet readers, mainly that people don’t do more than scroll through headers.
Now while this is true of a lot of people, it’s not true of all of them. It is after all just a model, an assumption of behavior based on limited information.
Mental Models
Kenneth Craik was the first to coin the term “Mental Model,” essentially shortcuts that the brain takes to make its life easier.
For instance, if I say “convenience store” you’ll an image of a store that sells a scattering of supplies from booze to candy, lotto tickets, cigarettes, and toilet paper.
Your mind has created a model of a convenience store. It may fit the above, it may…
