“The map is not the territory” is a phrase thought to come from philosopher and engineer Alfred Korzybski. It is used to convey the fact that people often confuse models of reality with reality itself. To have a literal representation of Pennsylvania, one would need a map the size of Pennsylvania. One must understand that in all domains of concept and thought: social sciences, philosophy, religion, and yes even medicine and natural sciences, the map is not the territory. All knowledge is tentative — a conceptual representation of an infinitely complex reality. We can use these concepts to generate practical results and models - but they are not the real thing.

Connections

9B. Life is a creation of the mind-body.