[kybernetikos]

I'd go further. If you think you understand the terrain in itself, all you've really done is make a more detailed map. You can ask the terrain questions, but you can never understand it or predict it or do anything useful with it except by making a map.

"The map is not the terrain" is useful if you're in danger of throwing away evidence that challenges your favourite model, in all other cases it distracts attention from the fact that building models is essential and important.

[BlueTemplar]

Yeah, but then it's like «All models are wrong, some are useful.» that already presupposes that you are aware of that models are unavoidable ?