Nagarjuna, the 2nd-century Buddhist philosopher, argued that all mental frameworks — including the very tools we use to understand reality — are 'empty' of inherent existence. He called this śūnyatā, not as a counsel of despair, but as a liberating reminder: your most trusted mental model is a raft, not a destination. The practical implication is sharper than it sounds. When a model stops generating accurate predictions or useful decisions, clinging to it isn't rigor — it's what Nagarjuna would recognize as attachment disguised as intellect. The master move isn't acquiring more models; it's cultivating the reflex to notice when you're inside one.

Which mental model are you currently treating as a window onto reality rather than a map you drew?

Drawing from Madhyamaka Buddhism — Nagarjuna