# Lumpers and Splitters In science some people are lumpers and some people are splitters. Lumpers’ main mode of thought is “ALL THESE THINGS ARE CONNECTED” while splitters’ main mode of thought is “these things that are lumped are actually different in interesting ways. Both lumpers and splitters are important! One could think of knowledge progressing by splitting and lumping in new ways that enable new thoughts. Maybe similar to [[Birds, Frogs, and Beavers]]. Originally heard in [How Should We Understand the Deep Human Past? Interview with Professor John Hawks — Tides of History — Overcast](https://overcast.fm/+Jf3rQeois/16:59) Paying attention to when lumping vs splitting feels useful, it seems like splitting seems to be the correct move when an assertion feels truthy but is clearly not absolutely true. [[Does research output always need to address an existential threat?]] is an example of a splitting note. Lumping seems to be the correct move when it feels off that people are treating ideas differently. [[Heuretics are either inventions or discoveries]] is a lumping note.