What is the Map is not the Territory?
Definition and explanation
The map and territory is a metaphor used to illustrate the difference between the actual world and our understanding of the world as we perceive it to be. The ‘map’ is our understanding of the ‘territory’ of reality, and we must be careful to remember that the map is not the territory!
Imagine you’re out on a long hike during a weekend off work. You’ve been following your map fine all the way, and you should arrive at your destination soon. But suddenly, as you descend down a hill you can’t find the road to your destination! Your map shows the road, but it’s no longer there - your map must be out of date!
It’s pretty clear what the difference between your map and the territory is. Your map is simply a representation of what someone thought the land looked like, but the territory is the reality we have to deal with (there is no road!). We know that just because our maps show the road, that doesn't mean the road actually exists. Similarly, scribbling a road onto your map doesn't make a road pop up in real life!
The idea of maps vs territory extends into a metaphor for the differences between our beliefs and reality itself. Reality exists outside our minds, but we all carry around maps of this ‘territory’. We draw these maps of reality based on what we glimpse through our senses.
Changing the map doesn’t change the territory
When we were hiking, there was no point in changing the map to what we wanted to be true. Even if we wanted a road, changing the map doesn’t change reality of course! It’s obvious! But we make this sort of mistake all the time when it comes to our beliefs. Having a false belief is like having a map of the world that doesn’t correspond to the territory - it’s just less useful!
We’ve all been guilty of ‘wishful thinking’ “If I don’t remind myself of the chores I have to do, then I won’t have to do them...” “...I’ve been having these heart palpitations for months, but I’m still young! They can’t be a sign of something serious...” But in all these situations, changing what we believe about the world doesn’t change reality itself. Just like how you can't draw a road into existence, you still have worrying medical symptoms, and lots of chores to do at the end of the day!
Instead of trying to change our map to what we want, we should edit our maps so they’re as closely aligned with the territory as possible. An accurate view of reality puts us in a better place to take effective action (like seeing the doctor when you need to!).
The discovery of ignorance
What made the Scientific Revolution such a big deal? The prominent religions at the time claimed that everything that was important to know about the world was already known, and could be revealed by priests or scriptures.
The Scientific Revolution challenged that consensus. It re-introduced the idea that we don’t know everything, and that we should be willing to admit ignorance - i.e. that our maps might not fully reflect the territory. The willingness to admit ignorance goes back to the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. He was named the wisest of all the philosophers (so the story goes) for claiming “I only know that I know nothing”.
A European world map from 1459 (Europe is in the top left corner). The map is filled with details, even when depicting areas that were completely unfamiliar to Europeans, such as southern Africa. Just because you can draw a detailed map, doesn’t mean you are accurately representing the territory! - from Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
The Salviati World Map, 1525. While the 1459 world map is full of continents, islands and detailed explanations, the Salviati map is mostly empty. The empty maps were a psychological and ideological breakthrough, a clear admission that Europeans were ignorant of large parts of the world. - from Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Also check out:
Map and Territory, Eliezer Yudkowsky
The Scientific Revolution - snippet from Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari