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36 Ways Of Thinking

 , October 04, 2020
Ways of thinking are mindsets and approaches that individuals use to form ideas, opinions, decisions and actions. These can be adopted naturally as part of the character and tendencies of an individual. Ways of thinking can also be consciously adopted over time or temporarily used to solve a particular problem. The following are common ways of thinking.

Magical Thinking

Imagining that things will happen without any reason. For example, a CEO who imagines an AI system will solve a bunch of problems without being able to explain why or how in any comprehensible way.

Biases

Biases are patterns of failed logic. For example, the illusion of asymmetric insight whereby you believe you understand others better than they understand you.

Motivated Reasoning

Finding evidence and forming arguments for what you want to believe.

Objectivity

Evaluating evidence in a detached way without letting your worldview or motivation change your analysis.

Analytical Thinking

The process of breaking things down into parts to understand them. For example, looking at sales data to understand which products, regions and customers are driving a decline in revenue.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a broad and non-specific term for systematic, methodical and objective thinking.

Emotion

Emotions are states of mind that color all thought. For example, thinking in a negative way because you feel melancholic.

Imagination

The ability to think in ways that differ from physical reality. A basic feature of human thought that is the key to creativity.

Counterfactural Thinking

Counterfactual thinking is the process of temporarily imagining that facts aren't facts in order to find new ideas. For example, imagining how energy would be if fossil fuels didn't exist.

Optimism

A state of mind that focuses on positive traits and potential.

Pessimism

A state of mind that focuses on negative traits and risk.

Defensive Pessimism

Defensive pessimism is the practice of using optimism to generate ideas and pessimism to validate them.

Idealism

The view that ideas create the world. Focuses on the intangible such as social constructs.

Realism

The view that only things that can be physically observed and measured are real. Focuses on the tangible.

Pragmatism

Pragmatism is the view that things both tangible and intangible are real if they are real for practical purposes. For example, the view that love is real because people commonly say they've experienced it.

Practical Thinking

Focusing on those aspects of a problem that are within your control or ability to influence. Practical thinking also implies that you seek the most reasonable solution to a problem without allowing perfectionism to get in the way.

Convergent Thinking

Convergent thinking seeks a solution to a problem with a known correct answer. For example, solving a math problem.

Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking seeks a reasonable answer to a problem with no authoritative solution. For example, trying to think of a new business model that will be profitable.

Speculative Reasoning

The ability to make a reasonable guess or prediction where information is missing.

Systems Thinking

Thinking through the possible consequences of change to complex systems such as a society, culture, organization, economy or ecosystem.

Overthinking

Thinking so much that your efforts have a negative practical effect such as wasting time, missing a window of opportunity or impacting your quality of life with negative thoughts.

Intuition

Intuition is the ability to know something without conscious thought. Ancient Greeks, including the likes of Socrates and Plato viewed this as a connection to a universal and timeless force. Intuition is now thought to be a process of unconscious thought.

Introspection

The process of examining your own thought, emotions and character.

Design Thinking

Using the process of design whereby you create new things to solve problems and make decisions.

Abstraction

Thinking with concepts that differ from physical reality. Most words are abstractions and humans often think in words such that much human thinking is abstract.

Verbal Reasoning

The process of thinking in words. Language is a basis for human intelligence. As such, learning a second language can expand your pool of concepts that can be used to solve problems.

Visual Thinking

Thinking in pictures including pictures that you draw and those you can visualize with your mind's eye.

Rational Thinking

Reasoned thinking that makes use of informal logic.

Cold Logic

Using logic as an excuse to ignore complexities such as the human condition.

Flow

A state of uninterrupted concentration that is important to thinking productivity.

Free Expression

Letting your ideas flow out without restraint. For example, brainstorming or painting without holding back for fear of criticism.

Big Picture Thinking

The process of challenging your most basic assumptions.

Win-win Thinking

Approaching things in a collaborative way that produces value for everyone.

Win-lose Thinking

Approaching things in a competitive way by trying to win at the expense of others.

Humor

The ability to view the absurdities of life as a source of joy.

Wit

The ability to respond quickly and intelligently in social situations.

Thinking

This is the complete list of articles we have written about thinking.
Abductive Reasoning
Abstract Thinking
Abstraction
Aesthetics
Analogy
Analysis Paralysis
Analytical Thinking
Anomie
Argument From Silence
Arrow Of Time
Assertions
Automaticity
Backward Induction
Base Rate Fallacy
Benefit Of Doubt
Big Picture
Brainstorming
Call To Action
Catch 22
Causality
Choice Architecture
Circular Reasoning
Cognition
Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive Biases
Cold Logic
Collective Intelligence
Complexity Bias
Concept
Consciousness
Constructive Criticism
Convergent Thinking
Counterfactual Thinking
Creative Tension
Creeping Normality
Critical Thinking
Culture
Curse Of Knowledge
Decision Fatigue
Decision Framing
Decision Making
Design Thinking
Divergent Thinking
Educated Guess
Emotional Intelligence
Epic Meaning
Essential Complexity
Excluded Middle
Failure Of Imagination
Fallacies
Fallacy Fallacy
False Analogy
False Balance
False Dichotomy
False Equivalence
First Principles
Formal Logic
Four Causes
Fuzzy Logic
Generalization
Golden Hammer
Good Judgement
Grey Area
Groupthink
Heuristics
Hindsight Bias
Hope
Idealism
Ideas
If-By-Whiskey
Imagination
Independent Thinking
Inference
Influencing
Informal Logic
Information
Information Cascade
Introspection
Intuition
Inventive Step
Learning
Lifestyle
Logic
Logical Argument
Logical Thinking
Ludic Fallacy
Magical Thinking
Meaning
Mental Experiences
Mental State
Mindset
Misuse of Statistics
Natural Language
Nirvana Fallacy
Norms
Objective Reason
Objectivity
Opinion
Overthinking
Perception
Personal Values
Perspective
Positive Thinking
Practical Thinking
Pragmatism
Problem Solving
Proof By Example
Propositional Logic
Prosecutor's Fallacy
Radical Chic
Rational Thought
Realism
Reality
Reason
Reasoning
Red Herring
Reflective Thinking
Relativism
Salience
Scarcity Mindset
Scientism
Selective Attention
Serendipity
Situational Awareness
Sour Grapes
State Of Mind
Storytelling
Subjectivity
Systems Thinking
Thinking
Thought Experiment
Unknown Unknowns
Visual Thinking
Want To Believe
Whataboutism
Win-Win Thinking
Wishful Thinking
Worldview
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Idealism

The definition of idealism with examples.

Optimism

The definition of optimism with examples.

Thought Processes

A list of thinking approaches and types.

List Of Emotions

A list of common emotions.

Originality

The definition of originality with examples.

Academic Disciplines

A list of common academic disciplines.

Life Is Fair

An overview of the idea that life is fair with examples.

Thinking

An overview of thinking with examples.

Opinion

The definition of opinion with examples.

Mindset

A list of common types of mindset.

Analytical Thinking

The definition of analytical thinking with examples.

Good Judgement

Complete examples of different types of good judgement.

Salience

The definition of salience with examples.

Perception

A list of the common types of perception.

Cognition

The common types of cognition with examples.

Cognitive Abilities

A list of common cognitive abilities with examples.
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