~ Thinking & Reasoning ~
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Thinking is one of those words that most of us have used countless times. We know what it means. We can correctly use it in a sentence. But if asked to actually define it, that might prove a tad more difficult. But why?
Thinking is a process, but unlike many processes, we can't see it, we can't really feel it, we certainly can't touch it, but we all know that we are doing it. Or not. One of those little quips that many of us used to say or hear others say as children is that bit when some youngster says something like "I can't think" or "I don't know", and the other kid replies "of course you can think because if you weren't thinking you would be dead". The point being that even as children we |
understood quite clearly that the process of thinking is integral to being alive and not longer thinking is, well, unthinkable. Technically however, thinking about no longer thinking is not only possible but there is an entire academic field of study that caters to this very concept. Perhaps what is really meant, is that the thought of no longer thinking is unknowable, an argument that is under the domain of Knowledge, particularly the domain of epistemology (click here to learn more), or metaphysics (click here to learn more). So what then, is thinking? There is a very good reason that this tab (Thinking) is not included under the tab (Knowledge). Want the best definition? Take 2.5 minutes and watch the video above, as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson entertains and enlightens you on knowledge vs. thinking.
Thinking and cognition are often used synonymously, but technically, cognition refers to the process or processes of thinking.
What then, is reasoning, and how is it different than thinking? To think is to cogitate, but to reason is take those thoughts and try and make sense of them, to imbue them with meaning of some sort, to make inferences and/or judgements about them. If I meditate, I am watching my thoughts as they pass, like looking at them on a movie screen, watching them scroll by. In doing so, no judgment is formed, nothing is being done with that thinking, it is just happening. Reasoning takes thinking a step further, Reasoning applies another process or step to those thoughts. Reasoning is usually referred to as being either inductive, deductive, or abductive (you can find out more on these in the Knowledge section).
Neuropsychologically, the specific regions involved in reasoning include the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the obitalfrontal prefrontal cortex (OPFC), and ventromedial aspects of the prefrontal cortex (VmPFC). In their own unique functioning, each of these areas act to facilitate the ability to perform a risk-benefit analysis in order to choose a correct or appropriate selection in lieu of a lesser appropriate selection. Damage to either .or all of these areas, will result in the inability to reason and make healthy decisions.
In the next tab within this section, Biases, Fallacies, & Distortions, you will learn more about the differences between these three often but incorrectly lumped together topics. Many of these are quite common, while some are the result of darker forces.
Want to know more? You can follow my blogs, attend a webinar or seminar, or take an e-course.
Thinking and cognition are often used synonymously, but technically, cognition refers to the process or processes of thinking.
What then, is reasoning, and how is it different than thinking? To think is to cogitate, but to reason is take those thoughts and try and make sense of them, to imbue them with meaning of some sort, to make inferences and/or judgements about them. If I meditate, I am watching my thoughts as they pass, like looking at them on a movie screen, watching them scroll by. In doing so, no judgment is formed, nothing is being done with that thinking, it is just happening. Reasoning takes thinking a step further, Reasoning applies another process or step to those thoughts. Reasoning is usually referred to as being either inductive, deductive, or abductive (you can find out more on these in the Knowledge section).
Neuropsychologically, the specific regions involved in reasoning include the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the obitalfrontal prefrontal cortex (OPFC), and ventromedial aspects of the prefrontal cortex (VmPFC). In their own unique functioning, each of these areas act to facilitate the ability to perform a risk-benefit analysis in order to choose a correct or appropriate selection in lieu of a lesser appropriate selection. Damage to either .or all of these areas, will result in the inability to reason and make healthy decisions.
In the next tab within this section, Biases, Fallacies, & Distortions, you will learn more about the differences between these three often but incorrectly lumped together topics. Many of these are quite common, while some are the result of darker forces.
Want to know more? You can follow my blogs, attend a webinar or seminar, or take an e-course.