What is conflicting mental models?

Conflicting mental models is a concept in personal epistemology: When two schemas contradict you need a meta-schema for deciding which to trust.

Example: You believe 'move fast and break things' and you also believe 'measure twice, cut once.' On Monday you ship a half-baked feature and break production. On Friday you spend three days polishing a spec nobody reads. Neither schema is wrong — you're applying each one without a rule for choosing between them. The meta-schema you're missing isn't a third belief. It's a conflict-resolution protocol: when stakes are reversible, move fast; when stakes are irreversible, measure twice.

This concept is part of Phase 17 (Meta-Schemas) in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for meta-schemas.