I used to be allergic to models. Driven by models such as MBTI that sometimes are like horoscopes, I developed a big skepticism toward models.
That started to change for me when I heard about the quote “Every model is wrong, but some are useful.” It didn’t land for me completely then. But the moment I realized every model is by necessity wrong is when it clicked.
The moment I realized the true weight of the first part: “Every model is wrong”. Even models that I hold in super high regard: The atomic models, the model for electricity (V, A and R), and even my own models for software.
They are all true on some level, but they are also all wrong. And that’s because of the other quote: “The map is not the territory”. Because if it were, it would be the territory by necessity. It can only be a map by omitting details. And that makes it wrong in some sense.
So thus, the next time you hear about models, think: “Every model is wrong, but some are useful.”