I think it’s very often the sign of a good model or framework that it seems fairly intuitive. Our intuitions often track the truth, but somewhat messily and implicitly. So it’s useful to crystallise them into something more explicit and structured, with labels for the different pieces of it, to facilitate clearer thinking and discussion. It would be odd if the result of that crystallisation seemed totally counterintuitive—that might be a sign that a mistake has been made in the process.
Consider, for example, that many of the most valuable economic models/theories seem to some extent very obvious (e.g., the ideas that buyers buy more when things are cheaper, while sellers sell more when things are more expensive). But making them as explicit as economics does aids in thinking, and can sometimes then uncover quite counterintuitive ideas or findings.
Now, that obviously doesn’t mean that all intuitive-seeming models are worth writing up or sharing. If it’s not just that the model is “obvious”, but in fact that people already explicitly recognised all the individual pieces and interactions in a clear way, then the model may not add value. But personally I think this is one useful way of collecting, making explicit, and structuring various intuitive ideas that often aren’t made fully explicit. (Though they sometimes are: as we note, “We’re sure other models could be generated, and could likely also be helpful.”)
This seems fairly intuitive. What is the novelty here?
(My view, not Convergence’s)
I think it’s very often the sign of a good model or framework that it seems fairly intuitive. Our intuitions often track the truth, but somewhat messily and implicitly. So it’s useful to crystallise them into something more explicit and structured, with labels for the different pieces of it, to facilitate clearer thinking and discussion. It would be odd if the result of that crystallisation seemed totally counterintuitive—that might be a sign that a mistake has been made in the process.
Consider, for example, that many of the most valuable economic models/theories seem to some extent very obvious (e.g., the ideas that buyers buy more when things are cheaper, while sellers sell more when things are more expensive). But making them as explicit as economics does aids in thinking, and can sometimes then uncover quite counterintuitive ideas or findings.
Now, that obviously doesn’t mean that all intuitive-seeming models are worth writing up or sharing. If it’s not just that the model is “obvious”, but in fact that people already explicitly recognised all the individual pieces and interactions in a clear way, then the model may not add value. But personally I think this is one useful way of collecting, making explicit, and structuring various intuitive ideas that often aren’t made fully explicit. (Though they sometimes are: as we note, “We’re sure other models could be generated, and could likely also be helpful.”)