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Learning how to think (2015)

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Re: Learning how to think (2015)

#41

Post by kokanator »

l33t2327 wrote: post #21
whoknew1122 wrote: post #19

Teaching me how to think is precisely what my 'worthless' liberal arts degree did. Interestingly enough, that skill was what let me transition into IT. And it allows me to outperform the vast majority of my co-workers, 95% of whom have masters degrees in some computer-related subject.

Anyone with a computer related subject who didn’t learn to think wasted their time in school.

When hiring developers, I am seldom interested in the candidate's degree or even their experience but rather how they think and problem solve. Are they contemplative, willing to delve into the problem, willing to ask questions which might imply they don't fully understand the problem, do they ask for a moment to think about it...

I have noticed universities have done a really good job to convince graduates there is a correct and immediate answer, pattern, procedure, process, etc to any problem. In essence, they have stifled thinking.

Re: Learning how to think (2015)

#42

Post by CRConrad »

throw14082020 wrote: post #33
wombatmobile wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author of TFA asserts "busy people don't make good decisions" without citing studies or presenting evidence. You can save a lot of time by ignoring articles like that.

Interesting, I think you're onto something, though others may find it obvious. Any other tricks for filtering time sinks which don't give value without putting the time in?

Ahem... Spend less time on HN?

Sorry, yes, "snarky" -- but OTOH, it can really be a huge timesink. (Guess how I know.)

Re: Learning how to think (2015)

#43

Post by CRConrad »

alexashka wrote: post #35

Good thinking is mostly just taking things apart by asking 'why' or 'how' until you arrive at 'don't know' and trying to answer that question. There actually isn't much more to it. You can also then combine the whys and hows to create new stuff. That bit people find impressive if it helps them solve an immediate need.

> Good thinking is mostly just taking things apart by asking 'why'...

So, good thinking is what your five-year-old forces you to do.

Re: Learning how to think (2015)

#44

Post by syl_sau »

philipswood wrote: post #5

I've noticed that people I meet that I think of as intelligent usually had an adult that talked with them intelligently when they were younger. I think thinking is seen, then emulated, and this emulation needs a bit of coaching. Yes, once you start reading some of this can happen without someone else available, but ultimately thinking is learned by exposure to good examples of it and iterated practice.

I've come to the same conclusions as you.

To me this is one of the main social benefits of platforms like YouTube: you have unlimited access to the greatest "critical thinkers" there are. In times when transmission of knowledge is being heavily challenged ("disrupted") by the constantly changing technological landscape, it is great that you can sit down and enjoy hours of in-depth courses and lectures on all imaginable topics.

Part of it I guess is that the amount of "sensitive connection" is greater than when reading a book -- something about seeing the person establishes a deeper connection.

If I was provocative I'd say there are many online father figures for disoriented people (though it's obviously not all positive, e.g. "PUAs").

Re: Learning how to think (2015)

#45

Post by wanttobethatkid »

vntx wrote: post #28
robobro wrote: post #13

I would argue that my degrees in philosophy were granted to me while I was learning to think and judge well at university. It's funny that the paper author goes only into multitasking / concentration after wondering why people struggle to think critically. Sure, distracted thinking is generally not good thinking, but slowing down in and of itself won't improve your judgment skills. It's kind of a bummer that after th…

Ironic isn’t it? The author complains about people not thinking enough but his articles don’t seem well thought out either. It’s full of reductionism and oversimplications. Slowing down, concentrating, and having lots of time are definitely helpful for thinking but he implies that it is sufficient for thinking and that everyone has that luxury. What about people operating under duress like in wars or pandemics? Can e…

> Can soldiers slow down while they’re being shot at?

What's there to think, either shoot back or run. OTOH planning war strategy is thinking.

> Can epidemiologists slow down while a pandemic spreads exponentially?

They have to if they have to invent the medicine. I think you are confused b/w hardwork and thinking.

Re: Learning how to think (2015)

#46

Post by lanstin »

darkerside wrote: post #36
lanstin wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only in very simple solution spaces. In general the solution spaces are pretty big and taking a while to mull it over is worth while. Especially for novel problems. If the problem is similar to something you thought about previously or have already encountered them of course it can be responded to. Even the smartest chess grandmaster will play better with more time. And for hiring, I always prefer people that have a…

Interesting. I find most people index too heavily on the other direction. There are diminishing returns on thinking at some point for to the inherent imprecision of making decisions in this world. You can make the best decision and things can still go wrong. Or you can have misunderstood the problem. Or you could be solving the wrong problem. For most ill defined problems, it's best to accept you may be wrong, but ma…

I worked at a place where design was expected to take a free weeks for a new server project that would take say three months. From what I saw we produced software that was easy to maintain and easy to add new features too. But we rarely had to rip out and redo old features or old libraries. People were much more Likely to come up with the right layering of software to solve the problem, including the problem of high velocity changing produce specs. We also figured out the right place to put in some DSL templating engine or easy to edit configuration. Working there for years and watching the system scale over many orders of magnitude user traffic and feature growth left me with an appreciation for deep, clear thought, in the face of uncertainty.
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