This package contains a blog post about garden path thinking with supporting graphics.
- garden-path-thinking.md - Main blog post in Markdown format
- garden-path-sentence-diagram.html - Interactive visual breakdown of garden path sentences
- honda-point-timeline.html - Timeline visualization of the 1923 naval disaster
- cognitive-process-flowchart.html - Flowchart showing how garden path thinking works
- README.md - This file
The markdown file can be:
- Converted to HTML for your static site
- Imported into your CMS
- Edited in any markdown editor
The HTML files are standalone and can be:
- Opened directly in any web browser
- Embedded in your blog post with iframes
- Viewed as separate resources
- Modified to match your site’s styling
All graphics use a minimal, professional design aesthetic with:
- Clean typography
- Monospace fonts for technical content
- Simple color palette (black, white, grays, red for emphasis)
- Responsive layouts
Garden path thinking describes how our brains follow reasonable interpretive paths that lead to incorrect conclusions. The concept originates from linguistics but applies broadly to cognition, decision-making, and real-world situations like the Honda Point naval disaster of 1923.
This post connects to several themes from jayschmidt.us:
- Decision-making under uncertainty - How committed interpretations can lead to disaster
- Aviation safety principles - The Honda Point disaster demonstrates what happens without independent verification
- Systems thinking - Understanding how logical chains of reasoning can lead to catastrophe
- Hazardous attitudes - Relates to invulnerability (“it won’t happen to us”) and resignation (“we’ve always done it this way”)
Feel free to use and modify these materials for your blog.