The Great Mental Models: Economics and Art

A cult bestseller in the US, available around the world for the first time, The Great Mental Models introduces the simple tools we all need to see the world clearly.

Time and time again, great thinkers like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger have credited their success to mental models: simple representations of how the world works that can be applied in a wide array of contexts. Mastering a small number of these concepts enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others don’t, and better anticipate outcomes.

The Great Mental Models introduces the most powerful models that anyone can use right away to improve decision making and productivity. In this volume, Shane Parrish introduces key concepts that both art and economics rely on, including:




Creative destruction: New innovations must sometimes come at the cost of the maintaining the status quo.
Representation: The depiction of an idea can be visual, but it can also rely on symbols or other ideas.
Genre: A form of communication with socially constructed norms developed collaboratively over time.


Building a latticework of mental models is one of the most powerful things you can do to become a better thinker, leader, or creator. The Great Mental Models is the accessible guide you need to unlock this ability.