The Model Thinker Book Summary - The Model Thinker Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

The Model Thinker summary

Scott E. Page

What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You

3.9 (156 ratings)
20 mins
Table of Contents

    The Model Thinker
    Summary of 7 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 7

    Models help us to explain, design, and predict.

    In June 2009 Air France flight AF 477 crashed in the Atlantic ocean. After searching in vain for weeks, and after a second failed search attempt a year later, the French authorities eventually turned to using complex data models to locate the plane. Using data on ocean currents and sophisticated modeling, they pinpointed a small region where they predicted the fuselage might lie. Within a week, they’d found it!

    The key message here is: Models help us to explain, design, and predict.

    The success in locating Air France flight AF 477 shows the power of using models. By simplifying the world into straightforward variables, models reduce the confusing background noise and identify the truly significant factors that determine real-world outcomes. Sound a little abstract? Then picture real-world models like, for instance, those in physics which explain missile trajectories, or ecological models that explain the distribution of species in an ecosystem. Each of these draws on observable facts to create accounts of why things happen the way they do.

    But that’s not all. As useful as models are for analyzing and visualizing data that already exists in the world, they're equally helpful in imagining what things might look like. Using models to visualize all sorts of designs – for example, social policies, innovative products, or marketing campaigns – allows us to project and envision outcomes without actually committing to them. With models, then, we can consider the implications of our choices and redesign things in response to our discoveries.

    From imagining the form a design could take, it's a short step to thinking about what will happen. Models help us predict the future. They don’t always do this perfectly, of course – as anyone who’s ever been misled by a weather forecast knows. But, as you’ll learn in the following blinks, models can make it much easier to predict the outcomes of uncertain events.

    Want to see all full key ideas from The Model Thinker?

    Key ideas in The Model Thinker

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is The Model Thinker about?

    The Model Thinker (2018) is a guide to using models to make data talk. In a world inundated with information, it sheds some much-needed light on the patterns underlying the noise – and points us toward the ways we can reveal those patterns for ourselves.

    Who should read The Model Thinker?

    • Modeling novices interested in making sense of data
    • Future-focused leaders interested in predicting the next big thing
    • Anyone who wants to sound a little smarter at dinner parties

    About the Author

    Scott E. Page is an American social scientist based at the University of Michigan, where he’s John Seely Brown Distinguished University Professor of Complexity, Social Science, and Management. He’s the author of several other titles, including The Diversity Bonus and The Difference.

    Categories with The Model Thinker

    Books like The Model Thinker

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    27 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial