More on The Map is Not the Territory

The map is not the territory – there is always more choice in the real world than in ones mental maps of reality.

“The map is not the territory” (Alfred Korzybski) says that the representation of something is not that thing. Seems pretty simple right? When you look at a map you know that it is a map, a representation of a place – not the actual place.

As meaning-making creatures, we access our world through the five common senses and from that “map” we assume reality. What you sense is only a representation of reality taken in by our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Take the case of a police officer that shows up on an accident scene with 3 witnesses. The officer will take three reports and each report will represent a distinct map (now twice remove from the actual experience, the first one being the observation and processing of the event). None of those reports is the event.

Continue to be an astute observer even when you believe you have your answer. More information and observations will be available to you.

BE Curious,

-Lane