If something characterizes the contemporary lifestyle (at least in Western countries) it is that information abounds. With a couple of clicks we are able to access all kinds of data, lessons that just a few decades ago were only possible to access in certain libraries and museums. Technology has become our second brain, one with photographic memory.
However, despite the great advantage that computing and the Internet have brought, our way of thinking remains the same as always. Which is bad, because in the face of the information bombardment that we are subjected to every day it is difficult to orient ourselves, to take a reliable mental route through which to reach a solid conclusion.
Therefore, it will be useful for you to start taking control of your own decisions and lines of reasoning by helping yourself with the tips to think well that you can read below.
The bad thing about having the ability to create practically any concept imaginable is that it is very easy to get lost in that labyrinth of opinions, beliefs and ideas that live in our brains. But knowing how to build thought processes that are reliable is not entirely impossible. Keep in mind the keys that you will read below.
There are many occasions in which the same word changes its meaning in the middle of the reasoning that we were following or that another person explains, without us realizing it. This happens a lot, for example, with the etymological fallacy which consists of pretending that a word means only what its etymology denotes.
For example, if someone claims that marriage between two men should not exist because the etymology of the word indicates the female presence in this act, they are using two different concepts: the traditional conception of marriage and the modern conception of it, mixing them without justification.
2. Avoid false dichotomy
There are people who try to prove themselves right by explaining, directly or more or less concealed, that if you don’t agree with them you are part of a despicable group of people to whom almost no one wants to belong: fascists, fanatics, etc. You must detect this strategy and realize that you do not have to belong to a group of people simply because you share a quality with them (disagreeing with your interlocutor, for example).
3. Memorizing is not always the solution
Many times, it is much more useful to remember how a type of information can be accessed than to memorize the information itself.
4. Set sequential guidelines
One of the most important aspects of thinking well is to organize yourself correctly, also psychologically.
For example, when faced with more or less complex reasoning, many people get very nervous thinking about which aspect of the problem to tackle first. Instead of that, forget about time and dedicate yourself to establishing a small plan with the “milestones” that must fulfill your thought until you reach the goal, the final solution.
To do this, imagine a series of train stops and try to move along that route, concentrating on only one objective at a time.
5. Don’t be afraid of what they may think
One of the aspects of life that most limits our thinking is being afraid of what others say, since this can make us give up continuing to think about something every time we sense that the course of thought may end up leading to an unpopular opinion. .
Retreating like that is not only frustrating; besides, makes us feel insecure when thinking about it since we know that it is not in our best interest to explain topics that can lead us into uncomfortable contradictions (with our ideas or those of the majority) and, furthermore, we have gone far enough in reasoning to doubt what we think we know.
6. Detect pseudo-concepts and avoid them
Sometimes there are certain reflections that include several highly imprecise concepts, which seem to be there to decorate. You must detect them in other people’s words so you don’t waste time wondering what they mean and avoid falling into their use.
7. Be careful with substantiating processes
When we talk about psychology and mental processes, it is very common to fall into the trap of turning something that is a process into a noun. For example, we would never say that we have arrived home using the movement of the car.
If we take this into account, we are more likely to think better, since we will not treat interaction dynamics as if they were people or elements separated from their context.
To think well it is not necessary to take everything into account. We simply have to start from a situation in which we have detected which information is relevant and which is not, and focus on the first of these. Otherwise, an overwhelming amount of information would cause us to do nothing, which is worse than leaving out some of the data linked to the topic we are talking about.
9. Compare things that are really comparable
When comparing two countries, make sure their history, location, culture and economic situation are comparable, for example. On the other hand, compare the specific with the specific and the general with the general. The effectiveness of a therapy, for example, does not change because there is more or less one person who claims to have benefited from it.
