How can you tell the difference between a chemist and a plumber? Ask the person to pronounce the word “unionized.” The chemist thinks “unionized” means not ionized, while the plumber assumes it’s about belonging to a union. That joke, or maybe it’s a riddle, gets at something deep about human cognition. We perceive reality through frames—mental models—that can both help and hinder our thinking.
I recently interviewed Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, one of the three authors of a forthcoming book--publication date May 11--that’s all about how we perceive the world. It’s called Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil.