This article made the rounds among co-workers a few months back. Finally took some time to read it and I thought it was excellent.
Briefly: the article suggests the existence of two different thought patterns, mapping and packing. Packing involves cataloging knowledge packets and accessing them in a straightforward way, without considering why things are true or how ideas fit together across disciplines. Mapping involves reflecting on truths to build a map of relationships between them, and updating your representation of that map as you learn new things.
I found mapping to be a super-powerful framework for thinking about things effectively. Some of the article felt reductionist, but it's a fascinating read.
Briefly: the article suggests the existence of two different thought patterns, mapping and packing. Packing involves cataloging knowledge packets and accessing them in a straightforward way, without considering why things are true or how ideas fit together across disciplines. Mapping involves reflecting on truths to build a map of relationships between them, and updating your representation of that map as you learn new things.
I found mapping to be a super-powerful framework for thinking about things effectively. Some of the article felt reductionist, but it's a fascinating read.