"It's Only a Model"

• "The map is not the territory." (A. Korzybski, 1933) A model is not the thing or things it is intended to represent. This means that every model will be an imperfect representation.
• "All models are wrong, but some are useful." (G. Box, 1976) Models can be used for specific or general purposes and are inherently context-sensitive to those purposes. For example, reusing a model intended for teaching a concept may or may not be helpful as one intended to demonstrate an example of a concept.
• "It is only when a breakdown occurs that we become aware of the fact that 'things' in our world exist" (T. Winograd & F. Flores, 1987) A model is usable until the assumptions made during its creation turn out to be inadequate, often as part of a fundamental surprise. There is little incentive to update an otherwise working model.

If you came to this page via a link from elsewhere, it’s likely because the author of elsewhere would like to acknowledge these characteristics (limitations, uses, etc.) of models in whatever context they found themselves in.

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