How To Think by Alan Jacobs (Currency, October 17, 2017)
A refreshingly actionable book about how to think better. Simple. Concise. Effective. Most books on cognitive mechanics focus on how and why the brain works the way it does. This book does not refute the solid existing science. Instead, Jacobs explains practical ways to use that information to actually improve how you think.
Introduction: Thinking should be thought of as part art and part science:
Science: The mechanics of how the brain itself works, including things like cognitive biases and other evolutionary shortcuts that may not serve us well in today’s world.
Art: How we use our conscious cognitive processes to navigate our connections with, and perceptions of, the world around us.
Chapter 1: Always question the foundation of assumptions upon which you build your house of logic.
Chapter 2: To improve the quality of your thinking, be willing to change your position if someone presents you with a superior one.
Chapter 3: Instead of assuming someone is wrong and trying to explain why, try finding the answer to this question: “How is it I know for sure they are wrong?”
Chapter 4: We self-sabotage with a false, zero sum reality when we frame an argument with militarized metaphors, such as: “I think they will destroy my argument if I use that strategy.”
Chapter 5: Thinking of people as individuals instead of lumping them together in classes will minimize assumptions, which are usually inaccurate and potentially harmful.
Chapter 6: If you can’t imagine a situation in which you would change your mind about a certain position, there is a good chance you have lost touch with logic.
Chapter 7: Our positions become easier to examine if we look at them through the eyes of an honest, rational person who holds an opposing view.
Conclusion: Improving your thinking requires a fundamental character shift to support improvements in thinking technique.