Ideas from 'Mental Models' by P. Johnson-Laird [1983], by Theme Structure

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14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 7. Scientific Models
The models we use in reasoning may be more like perceptions than like language
                        Full Idea: The models that people use to reason are more likely to resemble perception or conception of the events (from a God's-eye view) than a string of symbols directly corresponding to the linguistic form of the premises and then applying rules of inference.
                        From: P. Johnson-Laird (Mental Models [1983], p.53), quoted by Georges Rey - Contemporary Philosophy of Mind 10.1.2
                        A reaction: My intuition is that imagination is the single most important faculty in any conscious mind, and that even small animals have an inkling of the God's-eye view. Decisions need 'what-if' scenarios.