Pauling's Principle of Ideas
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Linus Pauling's practical rule states that the route to a good idea is to produce a large number of ideas first and throw away the bad ones, rather than trying to land a single perfect insight. Creativity is treated as a numbers game, where high-quality ideas appear as a by-product of a large sample, and quality is achieved through selection after generation instead of through one precisely aimed attempt. The principle separates the divergent phase, maximize quantity and suspend self-criticism, from the convergent phase, keep only what survives.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Defer judgment: generate without editing, so the early output stays large and unfiltered. - Screen after generating: apply selection only once the full set exists. - Prototype fast: test the surviving ideas with quick, cheap versions rather than refining them in the abstract.
Anchor fast decisions
A good idea is a low-probability draw from a large space of possibilities, so expected quality rises with the number of draws. Self-criticism applied during generation suppresses the sample and removes candidates before their value can be tested, which lowers the chance that a rare good idea appears. Generating first and screening afterward keeps the sample large while still removing the bad output, so selection, not precision, does the work of quality.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more
Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Paulingverified
PRIVATE NOTES · Only visible to you
SAVED Q&A
ENTRY Q&A · Private saving available
Ask with a clear boundary
thinkingmodels answers from published entry context only.
Your question is sent to thinkingmodels. The answer uses public entry context only.
RELATED MODELS