
How do I learn to think better? (2019) - Austin_Conlon
https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-learn-to-think-better/answer/Alan-Kay-11?share=1
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JacksonGariety
Perhaps the greatest document addressing this question is Plato's "Sophist."
Therein, Plato demonstrates that the ability to reason well amounts to knowing
which of the most general classes of things go together. He compares this
ability to musical ability, or knowing which notes harmonize with each other.
The imposter can only repeat specific combinations, lacking as he does
knowledge of the underlying structure.

> Then he who is able to do this has a clear perception of one form or idea
> extending entirely through many individuals each of which lies apart, and of
> many forms differing from one another but included in one greater form, and
> again of one form evolved by the union of many wholes, and of many forms
> entirely apart and separate. This is the knowledge and ability to
> distinguish by classes how individual things can or cannot be associated
> with one another. [Sophist, 253d]

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MichalSternik
This. Perhaps i'm biased, since i'm supposed to graduate from philosophy
department this year, but i do think that reading ancient philosophy (Plato &
Aristotle are the most representative example of what was going on there) is
the best way to think better -- and get in touch with origins of European
culture.

My recommendations, apart from "Sophist" (which is a difficult, very technical
dialogue regarding problems with platos theory of ideas) would be "Nicomachean
Ethics" (Joe Sachs' translation), "Philebus", "Phaedrus", and of course "The
Republic", Platos' magnum opus.

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MistahKoala
> "Sophist" (which is a difficult, very technical dialogue regarding problems
> with platos theory of ideas)

For the general lay reader, is there a more accessible equivalent you can
recommend?

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MichalSternik
I would start with Philebus. It is considered a pretty late dialogue, so
problems with theory of ideals are considered (and musical metaphors play a
prominent role). Also, its topic is worthy; Socrates & Protarchus discuss a
role that pleasure and reason play in furhishing a good life.

~~~
MistahKoala
Thanks for the recommendation - I'll have a look for it.

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friendlybus
Strange to mention the differences between perceptions and reality without
mentioning the philosphers that explored it. Leaving a notion of confusing
concepts without a way to explore it is not particularly productive.

Philosophy is a way to ask better questions.

Thinking better implies you can think correctly and defining that is half the
battle.

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PikachuEXE
Writing a short one here cause almost time to leave office hehe

I am a software engineer and I use DDD (Domain Driven Development) Before
becoming a software engineer I read books on Philosophy. The thinking methods
are very important.

Well I really out of time here Maybe I will write more later :P

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juststeve
Which ones would you recommend? Plato/Socrates, Kant, Foucault, de
Tocqueville?

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disambiguation
I had the same question and came across a book called "Sophie's World" which
tells the story of philosophy in human history, starting with Socrates and
coming all the way to modern times.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_World)

I'm currently about half way through, i think the book is geared towards a
younger audience but i'm finding it really enjoyable.

Once you have a high level view of the highlights of philosophy, you can
answer for yourself which philosophers to deep dive on.

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knbknb
There is a course "The Philosopher's toolkit - how to be the most rational
person in any room" at TheGreatCourses.com by Philosophy Professor Patrick
Grim.

The first lecture is about about this very topic. How we think and how to
think better.

I've ~~listened to some audio lectures once~~ taken the course and since then
I am thinking a lot better.

No seriously He teaches a lot of tricks and techniques. FOr insstance:
Ironclad, airtight validity. Thought experiments. Statistics. Really applying
all this takes some effort of course

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leemck
Underlying the process of thinking is a flow of sensory data that comes into
contact with memory. There is a matching process taking place. Laughter is an
example of a mismatch between sensory input and memory. The mismatch triggers
jerks in the motor control system. The matching process goes on for a while,
giving rise to what has been described by Kahneman as fast thinking and slow
thinking. A lot of the brain is incoming somatic sensory signals and outgoing
motor control signals. Thinking with words and symbols is a tiny part of the
brain's receptive and expressive ability. A baby pulls itself to stand and
experiences an exhilarating thrill as the balance organs and muscle circuits
fire away to hold her body upright. That is why opera singers stand up to
sing, that is why the bailiff in a court says "All Rise". And we haven't even
begun to do thinking in the academic sense.

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leemck
I'll add this. I work with severely disabled kids as a classroom aide. I keep
getting the impression that the difference in their thinking and mine is quite
small. I am geting to be 73 years old and the medical fact is I am probably
losing brain cells. But the illusion that I can think remains pretty complete.
I see an increasing time delay in the process of summoning detail from old
memories. I can also see an increasing fragility in the old memories.W With
warmth, I can tell the student I work with "I'm getting a little slower now
too.

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mikekchar
I read half the post before I realised who wrote it. Don't really want to
spoiler it, but it was interesting to explore my biases.

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zenincognito
Play chess.

It helps you think strategy before execution. It also helps you keep focussed
on the bigger picture.

In the last 2 years, I have gone from being ranked 800ish points to now 1200
on chess.com and it has definitely developed my thinking.

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person_of_color
There was research in brain training apps. The conclusion of the study was
that they simply made you better at them, rather than generalizing to other
tasks. How is that different to Chess?

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disambiguation
of course training and only training to be good at a game won't lead to
wisdom/insights, but anything can be generalized to other tasks if you take
the time to reflect on it.

I think Chess is ripe with lessons that apply to common, real life scenarios.
Off the top of my head:

\- early/mid/end game; you apply a different strategy based on the stage of
the game you are in, relates to software product lifecycles.

\- tempo; when your moves don't just profit, but set you up with momentum to
continue making more good moves.

\- zugzwang; being in a position where any move you make results in a loss.

\- The value of your position can exceed the value of your material based on
context.

\- You can still play a game where you're down to a draw.

The list goes on :)

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viklove
Seems like starcraft would be an even better game to play then, considering
that it has all of this, but also forces you to think in realtime.

Come to think of it, the information asymmetry in starcraft that is lacking in
chess would teach you a lot more lessons as well.

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RickJWagner
I took Dr. Barbara Oakley's Mooc, "Learning How to Learn" a while back. It's
truly an interesting class, and I'd like to think it gave me some good tips.

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csdreamer7
Like what?

