The whole of Science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking

"The whole of Science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking"

- Albert Einstein

Thinking is the highest mental activity present in man. All human achievements and progress are simply the products of thought. The evolution of culture, art, literature, science and technology are all the results of thinking.

Thought and action are inseparable - they are actually the two sides of the same coin. All our deliberate action starts from our deliberate thinking. For a man to do something, he should first see it in his mind's eye -- he should imagine it, think about it first, before he can do it. All creations-- whether artistic, literal or scientific --first occur in the creator's mind before it is actually given life in the real world.

 The Purpose of Thinking

The purpose of thinking, paradoxically, is to arrive at a state where thinking is no more necessary at all. In other words, thinking starts with a problem and ends in a solution. Thus, thinking is a tool for adapting ourselves to the physical and social environment in which we are in.

Can We Improve Our Thinking Ability?

Dr. Edward de Bono says that thinking CAN be improved just like any skill because thinking according to him is a skill. He has developed many useful techniques for training thinking skills.

Why Should We Improve Our Thinking Skills

The benefits of developing thinking ability are manifold. By developing one's thinking skills one can make achievements; can become successful; can shine in social life; can attain emotional, social and economic maturity and so on. By developing one's thinking abilities it is possible to transform one's aggressive tendencies, bad temper and other negative tendencies creatively and constructively. It has been found by Dr.Edward de Bono that when school students were taught to think effectively, their ill-temper and aggressive tendencies reduced significantly. Clinical Psychologists have also found that those who have neuroses are poor thinkers compared to normals. Neurotics scored significantly lower scores in decision making, problem solving and creative thinking. Interestingly, when neurotics were taught to think effectively, they showed a remarkable reduction in their neurosis.

Handout 1. Read the statements and decide whether you agree (A) or disagree (D).

___Evaluate how far materials are appropriate, and up-to-date.

___Evaluate how far the evidence or examples used in materials really proves the point that the author claims.

___To weigh up opinions, arguments or solutions against appropriate criteria.

___To think a line of reasoning through to its logical conclusion.

___Check for hidden bias or hidden assumptions.

___Check whether the evidence and argument really support the conclusions.

­­___[Critical thinking is when students] understand what they are reading and express it in their own language and come to some conclusions

___Critical analysis means looking at all the facts, weighing them up and making a decision based on the weighting…

___Basically not to take the results as presented…how does it affect the overall scheme of things?...dig deeper…see whether assumptions are valid.