MENTAL MODEL · M3302

Family Resemblance

CultureHigh supportPhilosophy

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Many concepts (such as "game") do not have a core feature (essence) shared by all members, but are interwoven like family members, where one resembles the father in the eyes, another the mother in the mouth, through a series of overlapping similarities.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Anti-essentialism. When classifying and defining (e.g., defining "what is art" or "what is Web3"), do not try to find the single "essential definition"; just find enough overlapping features. This makes our thinking more flexible and inclusive.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Many concepts (such as "game") have no essential feature common to all members; members are interconnected through a series of overlapping similar features, like family members who are similar in various ways but share no single common feature. Classification is based on a "network of overlaps" rather than "necessary and sufficient conditions."

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/5

Practice this model in one real situation:

List several features of candidate members
Find overlapping similarities between pairs
Confirm that there is no single common essence
Classify based on a similarity network rather than an essential definition
For new members, judge membership by "sufficient similarity."

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%8F%E7%9B%B8%E4%BC%BC%E6%80%A7ZH · Explicit
verified

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