Cognitive Biases Everyone Falls For
Fifteen cognitive biases that distort reasoning, each paired with a peer-reviewed example and a practical countermeasure you can apply immediately.
All Mental Models Articles
Welcome to the complete index of every article in our Mental Models collection on When Notes Fly. This page lists all 4 articles in the section, organized alphabetically for easy reference. Each piece is researched, written by hand, and grounded in academic sources, professional practice, or empirical data. Whether you are diving into Mental Models for the first time or returning to find a specific article, the index below gives you direct access to the full collection within Concepts.
If you are new to Mental Models, we recommend starting with the foundational explainers and definitions before moving on to specific case studies, applied frameworks, and deeper analytical pieces. Articles are written for thoughtful readers who want substance over summary, with clear explanations of how ideas connect, where they come from, and why they matter. Use this index as a navigational map: skim the titles, read the short summaries, and click through to the pieces that draw your interest. Each article also links to related material so you can follow a thread of ideas across our entire Concepts library.
Browse All Mental Models Articles
First Principles Thinking
First principles thinking explained from Aristotle to Elon Musk. The five-step method, real examples from SpaceX battery costs to pharmaceutical pricing, and when the framework fails in expert domains.
First Principles Thinking vs Systems Thinking
Expert-written comparison of first principles thinking and systems thinking with decision criteria for when each produces better results.
Ockham's Razor vs Hanlon's Razor vs Chesterton's Fence
Expert-written explanation of three classic reasoning heuristics with when to apply each, common misapplications, and decision examples.