Humans identify things of value. What we see as being valuable ranges from physical things, commodities, behaviors, and even ideas. How do we determine what is and what is not valuable? How do we determine, out of all the things that we find valuable, which one is more valuable than something else? We use our mental models.

A mental model is a collection of traditions, practices, beliefs, and facts that we use to filter information through. When we encounter a dilemma we pass the dilemma through our mental models to make sense of the dilemma. Humans are very efficient in filtering dilemmas. We do this quickly and with very little effort.

Where do our mental models come from?

Our mental models are first established in mythological stories. These myths show us what is important and what behaviors and principles are also important. Society then builds on top of those myths by establishing rules (i.e. laws and mores) that align to those myths.

Myths help us to apply the universe of value and meaning to the world of the physical. Myths structure value and meaning into categories and hierarchies. By codifying myths into stories, myths become memorable and shareable. Myths give us a common language to teach and discuss value.

Myths become a pre-loaded decision-making schema to guide our behavior, particularly when ambiguity is high. As we encounter new phenomena and gain experience, our experience becomes our tacit knowledge. This tacit knowledge feeds into, and adds to, our mental models. Our mental models expand giving us greater granularity for our decision-making processes. When a phenomena changes, as is common in the real world, our decision-making processes, which are tied into our mental models and myths, increase our adaptability. Adaptability is a necessary characteristic for our survival in a world intent on seeing us destroyed.