Thinking: An Excerpt from "Tracing Connections"
By Barry Richmond
Barry Richmond was a pioneer in the field of systems thinking and system dynamics, an early supporter of Pegasus, and
a friend to many in our community. We are pleased to feature an excerpt from Tracing Connections, a new book published by isee systems and the Creative Learning Exchange as a tribute to Barry and his efforts to shed new light on some of our world's darkest challenges. This excerpt comes from the introductory chapter, "The Thinking in Systems Thinking: Eight Critical Skills," a piece that Barry wrote before his untimely death in 2002. © 2010 isee systems, inc., and the Creative Learning Exchange
Thinking is something we all do, but what is it? The dictionary says it's "to have a thought; to reason, reflect on, or ponder." Does that clear it up for you? It didn't for me. I will define thinking as consisting of two activities: constructing mental models and then simulating them in order to draw conclusions and make decisions.
We'll get to constructing and simulating in a moment. But first, what the heck is a mental model?
It's a "selective abstraction" of reality that you create and then carry around in your head. As big as some of our heads get, we still can't fit reality in there. Instead, we have models of various aspects of reality. We simulate these models in order to "make meaning" out of what we're experiencing, and also to help us arrive at decisions that inform our actions.
For example, you have to deal with your kid, or a sibling, or your parent. None of them are physically present inside your head. Instead, when dealing with them in a particular context, you select certain aspects of each that are germane to the context. In your mind's eye, you relate those aspects to each other using some form of cause-and-effect logic. Then, you simulate the interplay of these relationships under various "what if" scenarios to draw conclusions about a best course of action, or to understand something about what has occurred.
If you were seeking to understand why your daughter isn't doing well in arithmetic, you could probably safely ignore the color of her eyes when selecting aspects of reality to include in the mental model you are constructing. This aspect of reality is unlikely to help you in developing an understanding of the causes of her difficulties, or in drawing conclusions about what to do. But, in selecting a blouse for her birthday? Eye color probably ought to be in that mental model.
As the preceding example nicely illustrates, all models (mental and otherwise) are simplifications. They necessarily omit many aspects of the realities they represent. That statement is a paraphrase of something George Box once uttered: "All models are wrong; some models are useful." It's important to dredge this hallowed truth back up into consciousness from time to time to prevent yourself from becoming "too attached" to one of your mental models; nevertheless, despite the fact that all models are wrong, you have no choice but to use them--no choice, that is, if you are going to think. If you wish to employ non-rational means (like gut feel and intuition) in order to arrive at a conclusion or a decision, no mental model is needed. But, if you want to think, you can't do so without a mental model!
Barry Richmond was a leader in the fields of systems thinking and system dynamics. He founded High Performance Systems, now isee systems, a software and consulting company. He is known for the development of the STELLA and iThink simulation modeling software and for his commitment to K-12 education.
Click here for more information about Tracing Connections.
A chapter from the book written by educator Frank Draper, "Teaching by Wandering Around: Learning About the World Naturally," is available in the latest issue of the Creative Learning Exchange's newsletter.