Placeholder theories or Everything is more complex than you think it is

Scott Young talks about willpower as a placeholder theory. Placeholder theories are simplistic explanations that people use to explain complicated systems or phenomena that we don't really understand. In effect, they are simplistic placeholders for more complicated explanations which either don't exist currently or that exist but are simply too complex to be grasped . The one major characteristic of a placeholder theory is that it can be intuitively grasped.

As Scott so aptly puts it - "it is useful to assume that everything you think you know now is a gross simplification. Your goal is to continually refine and seek better metaphors and examples to explain the world. ".

He continues with a classic definiton of the confirmation bias - "Once you have a theory, even a grossly simplified and inaccurate one of how the world works, it becomes increasingly more difficult to change your mind. You seek evidence and examples that confirm your hypothesis and discredit the contrary evidence."

Any other placeholder theories come to mind? Errrr ... God for one.

You can find a list of the confirmation bias and other cognitive biases here.