Six Ways to Start Thinking More Rationally

Clearly, these methods force an individual to alter their perception of concepts through creative thinking. By applying these elements to sound inquiry intellectual tenets can be developed in a structured fashion.

1. Check for Logical Fallacies

   Too often we are blinded by the use of complex rational that falls apart under careful analysis. In fact, common errors in reasoning often occur unintentionally and are genuine mistakes. The skill to identify these miscues is of incalculable valuable in argument and rhetoric.

2. Stay with Problems Longer

   “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” -Albert Einstein. This one speaks for itself. Persistence of thought leads to ‘Eureka moments.’

3. Be a Skeptic and Credulous Simultaneously

   Question everything, but be open to the possibility of anything This point is less about being balanced, but more about going back and forth. True, it is usually better to avoid extremes, though the hypothetical nature of this exercise allows for its utility. Never believe something “as is,” but also avoid becoming too sure of the nature of things. A philosopher is an open-minded skeptic.

4. Lingual Analysis and Metaphor

   This is intrinsic to the deduction of logic. Many philosophical problems are really language problems. It is important to be able to abstract a concept and explain it from a different perspective. Contemporary languages often face difficulties in articulating complex, often abstruse, ideas. This leads to the necessity of metaphors, which eventually contribute to the evolution of a language. Ask any Philosophy Grad Student, who spends hours over a small passage trying to figure out what the author really means, how important this skill is. Remember that ineffability says nothing about an experience or idea, but only about the language being used to describe it.

5. Thought Experiments

   This relates back to point two, as it entails broadening the mental process through hypothesis. In philosophy, thought experiments have been used at least since classical antiquity, some pre-dating Socrates. As imagination trumps empiricism, subjunctive thought is then applied to real world scenarios. From Borel’s monkeys to Schrödinger’s cat, being able to stretch known principles elucidates certain truths. Einstein’s mathematics often began with thought experiments, allowing him to develop the notion of warped space-time. Being able to seriously consider an impossible situation allows for us to scrutinize and develop ideas and principles in a way that transcends the limits of human experience and experiments .

6. Constant Reassessment of Values

   Perhaps, this trait leads to the stereotyping of the philosopher as liberally embracing counterculture. While having a strong set of core values is important to character, a certain plasticity of mind is necessary for lateral thinking. If you can’t explain why you believe something, then dissect it. Unanalyzed, obsessive thought process results in both coarse deliberation and destructive action. This point highlights the importance of introspection.