Ask HN: How do I learn to think? - HiroshiSan
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hackermailman
CMU has a free logic course [http://oli.cmu.edu/courses/all-oli-courses/logic-
proofs-cour...](http://oli.cmu.edu/courses/all-oli-courses/logic-proofs-
course-details/)

This collection of lecture notes used for an intro pure math course also
covers communications in math like how to write and structure a proof
[https://infinitedescent.xyz/](https://infinitedescent.xyz/)

There is also classic material, like Descartes 'Discourse on the Method'. As
for being able to argue well, any books on thesis defense will help like what
a committee looks for when tearing apart your hypothesis and results/logic.

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noobly
I can recommend the following:

Coursera's course "Learning How to Learn"

Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman

How to Read a Book, Adler[0]

The Trivium, Sister Miriam Joseph

How to Solve It, Polya

I'd also recommend others that have already been recommended, such as the
Discourse On the Method, the logic course (which I haven't personally taken,
but a logic course certainly helps enter the right frame of mind for
evaluating arguements with others or yourself, ime) and of course, learning
more mathematics.

[0]: There's also an excellent summary here:
[https://pastebin.com/wGFMM1pZ](https://pastebin.com/wGFMM1pZ)

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HiroshiSan
Thanks for the list of books!

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noobly
Of course! I understand that a list of books isn't initially helpful as it
only presents a time sink and nothing of immediate utility, but I believe I
gained noticable cognitive improvements from reading those. You might also be
interested in: [https://fs.blog/mental-models/](https://fs.blog/mental-
models/), which I read recently and have mixed feelings about.

Unfortunately I don't have any clear cut answers, and sadly I don't think
reality does either - by nature, it's a question that is subject to personal
opinion and biased answers. But if you find a satisfactory answer, please let
me know. And as a final note, I think I've learned the most from debate - be
it online or in person. Engaging in challenging discussion whenever possible
(figuratively). It may sound lame, but forcing myself into such discussions,
or at least reading them carefully and analytically, has helped me
tremendously.

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blk_r00ster
You are already on the right path. Keep asking yourself but also observe you
are already better thinker by promoting feedback and being vulnerable by
asking.

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Gustomaximus
From ancient greece to medieval times much further education was focused on
the trivium. These were considered the thinking skills;

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivium)

These are good areas to pursue IMO.

I've always enjoyed conversation with people that look at the world from a
different perspective. Its interesting to gain some of their perspective and
it also helps me look at the world from different angles.

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guilhas
Just think. About what affects you. Go for 1h walk and leave everything at
home, except the keys.

I usually I commute 1h10m a day, by bus, and many times I just think about
everything. Sometimes I have to shutdown my phone, or make sure I have no
music, 4G, videos, ebooks, so I don't get distracted.

You can think about your life, future, past, work "puzzles", economics,
politics, friends, family, something you forgot, make comparison between them,
etc...

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rayalez
Pick a skill you want to master, set yourself challenging but attainable
goals, and solve problems/challenges on your path. That's the best way.

Also check out LessWrong and "Rationality: From AI to Zombies" \- the best
book on "thinking" I have ever encountered.

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auslegung
What do you mean? There are different ways of thinking: logically,
intuitively, empathicaly, and probably others.

So my question to you is, why do you want to think? To have better
relationships? To be better in your career? To be a better musician? To some
extent you’ll need logic, empathy, and intuition to succeed in life but you’ll
need a lot more logic as a software engineer, and a lot more empathy to be a
social worker.

~~~
HiroshiSan
Hmm, I want to be a clearer thinker if that makes sense. I have trouble
articulating a lot of my thoughts, I don't write very much and so I have a lot
of trouble putting my thoughts into words. I'm not very good at arguing (I
argue more emotionally than rationally). I would like to be able to think more
logically, take a hypothesis and see it to it's logical conclusion.

~~~
Jtsummers
Study logic and mathematics, additionally philosophy. You may not get fast at
debate/argumentation (I'm not). But the quality of your arguments will
improve. You'll be able to examine the nature of the discussion better and
identify the key elements and how they're connected to each other.

Learn to identify the assumptions of a position. I have a colleague who is a
diehard Young Earth Creationist. He pointed me to some videos by Ken Ham (I
believe). I watched them, because I wanted to understand the position. It's
been a few years so I can't recall the precise flaws in the arguments, but
here was the structural problem: Everything he said, ignoring how he opened an
argument, was entirely logical given the initial assumptions. The entire
problem was the initial assumptions (a flawed understanding of genetics,
physics, and chemistry). If you took his assumptions as givens, then
everything he said was quite persuasive. If you, however, actually have
studied those fields or have the ability to study them, you can quickly
identify why his conclusions are false.

Nearly every debate you have with someone, you will find that the
disagreements start with the premises and you have to identify _these_. From
there it's an application of logic to see how they get to their actual stated
views. With this understanding, you can determine whether you can even change
their view. Their assumptions may be so ingrained they cannot change (like my
colleague), or you might find your own conclusions changed (develop a better
understanding of the history of some country and why that places them in some
position today, for instance). But you'll achieve change via logic and not
emotion.

Sometimes, though, it does come down to emotion. I had some moderate success
in getting a colleague to care about prison conditions by appealing to his
religious views and pointing out the conflicts between claiming Christianity
and also thinking it's ok for men to get raped by other men in prison ("ok",
he felt no sympathy for them and thought they were getting what they
deserved). I still used logic in that discussion, but one of the premises was
his faith and the value he placed in it.

~~~
HiroshiSan
That's my current plan! The math is taking a lot longer than expected.

~~~
Jtsummers
Within math: geometry, discrete math, and set theory are _very_ proof heavy
and pair well with trying to understand logical reasoning.

Other math (algebra, calculus, stats) _can_ be proof heavy, but may require a
higher level of math/logic sophistication to get into (you'd be looking at
textbooks targeting university juniors and seniors, maybe even grad students).
Whereas introductory geometry often includes proofs _immediately_ , as do set
theory and discrete math.

Good luck in your efforts.

~~~
HiroshiSan
I’m currently working through problem solving books for elementary/juniour
high school. I’m trying to mainly learn to love math and problem solving as it
causes me a lot of anxiety and frustration but every now and then I solve a
problem and get a little bit of a rush.

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provlem
Follow below steps -

1\. Learn to remain silent.

2\. Try to Observe thing.

3\. Go to Bathroom, Sit and talk to your self [Improve talking by stopping to
speak]

4\. Repeat and Rise.

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amorphous
Participate and engage in discussions with others. HN is a good place to start
:) Try to be as precise as possible when making your argument. Repeat. It's a
life-long exercise.

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navjack27
Maybe you need to become more mindful first.

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HiroshiSan
Maybe. I just started meditating again.

