MENTAL MODEL · M2641

Gibson's Law

DecideHigh supportDecision Science

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

For every PhD (expert), there is an equal and opposite PhD. -

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Hedging expert opinions. - In court, policy-making, or business consulting, do not blindly trust the authority of a single expert. As long as you are willing to spend money or time, you can always find an expert with an opposing view to support your position. This reminds decision-makers: expert opinions are often just arguments, not truth. The final judgment responsibility lies with you and cannot be outsourced to experts.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Professional fields have inherent uncertainty and reasonable differences in interpretation, and experts' employment or positions can influence conclusions, making an 'opposing expert' almost always findable. This law reveals that expert testimony is a marketable 'opinion', not a synonym for objective truth. Its mechanism is that 'adversaries can create opposing evidence', reminding decision-makers to retain final judgment.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/2

Practice this model in one real situation:

For key decisions, do not rely on a single expert opinion
actively seek opposing views. 2. Question the premises, conflicts of interest, and uncertainty ranges of expert conclusions. 3. Treat expert opinions as 'one of the arguments' rather than a final ruling. 4. Make your own comprehensive judgment and bear decision responsibility, not outsourcing to authority.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

account_treeGenealogyexpand_more

menu_bookReferencesexpand_more

Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson's_lawZH · Explicit
verified

RELATED MODELS