The Invisible Filter

A breakdown of the benefits and pitfalls of the human brain’s tendency to simplify complex situations.

“The narratives we hold about ourselves and our place in the world are the raw materials from which we build our existence,” writes venture capitalist Gupta at the outset of his debut book. These stories we tell ourselves are what he refers to as “mental models,” and he asserts that they’re the ultimate source of many of society’s conflicts—from opposing public reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic to contradictory responses to the clear threat of climate change. In Gupta’s telling, such mental models share several characteristics, such as the fact that they’re learned, not innate; they’re based on strong beliefs but can still be both fluid and subconscious; and perhaps most importantly, they’re incomplete, as they ignore complexity by their very nature: “A simple sketch doesn’t retain all the details of what it represents; consider what’s left out in a stick figure sketch of a person.” Throughout, Gupta insightfully stresses that these mental models aren’t always bad things; they often “go a long way toward taking the friction out of cross-functional collaboration,” although they can also “stymie innovation, and reinforce social boundaries.” Over the course of this book, the author skillfully cites the works of experts, such as Nobel Prize–winning psychologist and economist Daniel Kahneman, alongside stories from his own life to help to back up his points. His questioning, fact-grounded approach is the book’s main strength, conveying the impression of a well-informed scholar who has an open mind about the origins of closed-mindedness. Indeed, many readers may be prompted to re-examine their own personal tenets.

A well-researched and ultimately hopeful look at biases and how to re-examine them.