Does everyone pretty much have the same built-in framework for thinking?

[Saiyan300Warrior]

I was wondering if when you break down all kinds of knowledge in different fields if you get something as simple as a linear pattern, point a to point b. For example people sometimes prize themselves on the fact that they have specialised knowledge in certain knowledge fields like math or science or economics etc. I am wondering if learning anything and everything since we can't change the way we are built (for now since maybe genetic engineering could or if you are born with disability/disfunction) for most people is simply from a linear pattern of going from points a to b to c to d to e etc... I don't know if I am explaining it right but what I AM explaining is very simple concept to define human way of thinking and solving problems. Also not so much the theory of the knowledge where you get into detail of how different steps are but the essence of it where you can go from point to point in simple steps. Am I being clear and just wasting words trying to explain something very simple?

But I think when people do biology related subjects they say that this part of the brain means this way of thinking, this part is that and etc. I think I am talking more from a philosophy point of view or psychology maybe.

I think things like memory, eyes seeing different textures, objects, more than 1 thing and way brain functions factors for how there is variety in knowledge but simple linear thinking seems to be pattern in all knowledge based on my own self-understanding... here to there, this step after that, point a to point b etc

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by Saiyan300Warrior

[Phi for All]

6 hours ago, Saiyan300Warrior said:

I am wondering if learning anything and everything since we can't change the way we are built (for now since maybe genetic engineering could or if you are born with disability/disfunction) for most people is simply from a linear pattern of going from points a to b to c to d to e etc...

It may seem linear, but when you think you're drawing from relevant sources you've been accumulating since birth. You choose the knowledge you need to apply to a situation from a large range of information you've previously put together from selected data. It's like your box of tools to deal with a particular problem. If you need to fix yourself something to eat, you're going to think of just those things you need to make it happen, and select the ones that will successfully turn your thoughts into action. As you gain more experience, your knowledge is broader and deeper, so the information you're able to draw from is richer as well.

It's pretty amazing, really. The moment you feel hungry, your mind starts grabbing all the knowledge available to you, including your current preferences and available resources. You fill your tool box with what you need (no money but stuff in the fridge to make an omelet, grab a pan and a bowl and a spoon, turn on the stove, get the bacon, etc), and don't bother with anything else (you didn't grab the cat brush, or start your car, or check to see if you have any blue paint). Change the parameters of the situation, and your thinking is going to change as well (hungry roommates need food too, or the eggs went bad, or you find a bunch of money). It's a lot more than going from a to b to c to d. 

[Neuron]

11 hours ago, Saiyan300Warrior said:

I think things like memory, eyes seeing different textures, objects, more than 1 thing and way brain functions factors for how there is variety in knowledge but simple linear thinking seems to be pattern in all knowledge based on my own self-understanding... here to there, this step after that, point a to point b etc

What do you mean by "linear thinking"?

[Saiyan300Warrior]

I wasn't going to use "linear thinking" but I googled it and it said "step by step thinking" is what it means. I just wanted to use linear thinking to sound smarter lol

On 11/3/2020 at 1:28 AM, Phi for All said:

It may seem linear, but when you think you're drawing from relevant sources you've been accumulating since birth. You choose the knowledge you need to apply to a situation from a large range of information you've previously put together from selected data.

So you talking about the brain and how it deals with memory? The brain is so complex based on human studies so I can't really speak for it besides through my own one. To me it seems like an eagle soaring the sky, sees lots of stuff from high up but in order to get its prey it has to kind of 0 in on one thing when going towards the ground and so doesn't see all the stuff (kinda bigger eagle eye picture) anymore. Maybe that is what I am talking about is we can't just fully function on all memories at once, the toolbox like you say... and we have to 0 in on a small piece of knowledge like an eagle and from the ground we do step by step thinking, maybe being in the sky is like memories + imagination... I don't know.

 

 

[Area54]

11 minutes ago, Saiyan300Warrior said:

I wasn't going to use "linear thinking" but I googled it and it said "step by step thinking" is what it means. I just wanted to use linear thinking to sound smarter lol

So you talking about the brain and how it deals with memory? The brain is so complex based on human studies so I can't really speak for it besides through my own one. To me it seems like an eagle soaring the sky, sees lots of stuff from high up but in order to get its prey it has to kind of 0 in on one thing when going towards the ground and so doesn't see all the stuff (kinda bigger eagle eye picture) anymore. Maybe that is what I am talking about is we can't just fully function on all memories at once, the toolbox like you say... and we have to 0 in on a small piece of knowledge like an eagle and from the ground we do step by step thinking, maybe being in the sky is like memories + imagination... I don't know.

I would agree that some aspects of thinking are linear. Certainly, when explaining a concept to others we are obliged to move from point to point. However, this certainly not the way I approach all situations/topics.

You spoke of the landscape viewed by the eagle and I should say that is a good analogy for how I think about more complex problems, especially in the early stages. The elements in the  landscape represent data, or concepts and "seeing" them in this bird's-eye view allows one to better understand the relationship between them and adjust where necessary. I've not discussed this with others, but I would be surprised if this approach were unique. Indeed, the fact that you conceived the eagle example suggests you also think in this way, though you may not have recognised it.

[MigL]

The brain does think in steps

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2020 at 10:28 AM, Phi for All said:

You fill your tool box with what you need (no money but stuff in the fridge to make an omelet, grab a pan and a bowl and a spoon, turn on the stove, get the bacon, etc), and don't bother with anything else

However, some people can think many more steps ahead than others. Think of chess Grandmasters who think 6-8 moves ahead.

It would be a real letdown if you get all the ingredients for your omelet together, turn on the stove, grab a pan, bowl and spoon, and then realize you don't have a dish to serve/eat it on because you could only think 3 steps ahead, not four.

[swansont]

I think the fact that some people are good at a particular subject while others aren’t (e.g. math) suggests rather strongly that no, we don’t all have the same framework for thinking.

[Markus Hanke]

Quote

Does everyone pretty much have the same built-in framework for thinking?

No. It depends a lot on what exactly you mean by the qualifier "pretty much", though.
I for example am on the autism spectrum (I have Asperger's), which I consider to be a form of neurodivergence, rather than a disability - I'm differently abled, not disabled. I have noticed all my life that my approach to solving certain problems can be very different from the way a neurotypical person would approach the same problem, so clearly my built-in framework is subtly different compared to that of others. Sometimes that's an advantage, other times it's a hindrance, depending on circumstance.