Philosophy:Outline of thought

Short description: Overview of and topical guide to thought

A thinking chimpanzee

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to thought (thinking):

Thought (also called thinking) – mental process in which beings form psychological associations and models of the world. Thinking is manipulating information, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reason and make decisions. Thought, the act of thinking, produces more thoughts. A thought may be an idea, an image, a sound or even control an emotional feeling.

Nature of thought

Thought (or thinking) can be described as all of the following:

• An activity taking place in a:
  • brain – organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals (only a few invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, adult sea squirts and starfish do not have a brain). It is the physical structure associated with the mind.
    • mind – abstract entity with the cognitive faculties of consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory. Having a mind is a characteristic of living creatures. Activities taking place in a mind are called mental processes or cognitive functions.
  • computer (see § Machine thought below) – general purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or logical operations automatically. Since a sequence of operations (an algorithm) can be readily changed, the computer can solve more than one kind of problem.
• An activity of intelligence – intelligence is the intellectual process of which is marked by cognition, motivation, and self-awareness. Through intelligence, living creatures possess the cognitive abilities to learn, form concepts, understand, apply logic, and reason, including the capacities to recognize patterns, comprehend ideas, plan, problem solve, make decisions, retaining, and use language to communicate. Intelligence enables living creatures to experience and think.
  • A type of mental process – something that individuals can do with their minds. Mental processes include perception, memory, thinking, volition, and emotion. Sometimes the term cognitive function is used instead.
• A biological adaptation mechanism
  • Neural Network explanation: Thoughts are created by the summation of neural outputs and connections of which vectors form. These vectors describe the magnitude and direction of the connections and action between neurons. The graphs of these vectors can represent a network of neurons whose connections fire in different ways over time as synapses fire. These large thought vectors in the brain cause other vectors of activity. For example: An input from the environment is received by the neural network. The network changes the magnitude and outputs of individual neurons. The altered network outputs the symbols needed to make sense of the input.

Types of thought (thinking)

Listed below are types of thought, also known as thinking processes.

Human thought

Classifications of thought

• Bloom's taxonomy
• Philosophy:Dual process theory – Psychological theory of how thought can arise in two different ways
• Philosophy:Fluid and crystallized intelligence
• Philosophy:Higher-order thinking – Concept in education and education reform
• Philosophy:Theory of multiple intelligences – Theory of intelligence proposed by Howard Gardner
• Philosophy:Three-stratum theory – Cognitive ability theory

Problem solving

Problem solving – Approaches to problem solving

Organizational thought

Organizational thought (thinking by organizations)

• Management information system – Information system used for decision-making
• Organization:Organizational communication – Field of study in communication studies
• Organizational planning
  • Social:Strategic planning – Organizational decision making process
• Social:Strategic thinking – Cognitive activity
• Systems theory – Interdisciplinary study of systems

Aspects of the thinker

Aspects of the thinker which may affect (help or hamper) his or her thinking:

Thought tools and thought research

• Cognitive model
• Engineering:Design tool
• Diagram – Symbolic representation of information using visualization techniques
  • Argument map – Visual representation of the structure of an argument
  • Concept map – Diagram showing relationships among concepts
  • Mind map – Diagram to visually organize information
• DSRP – Theory and method of thinking
• Intelligence amplification – Use of information technology to augment human intelligence
• Social:Language – Structured system of communication
• Philosophy:Meditation – Mental practice of focus on a particular topic
• Social:Six Thinking Hats – 1985 book by Edward de Bono
• Synectics

History of thinking

• History of artificial intelligence
• Philosophy:History of the concept of creativity
• Philosophy:History of ideas – A field of research
• Philosophy:History of logic

Nootropics (cognitive enhancers and smart drugs)

Chemistry:Nootropic – Compound intended to improve cognitive function

Substances that improve mental performance:

Organizations

• Associations pertaining to thought
  • Organization:Association for Automated Reasoning
  • Philosophy:Association for Informal Logic and Critical Thinking

Media

Publications

Books

• Handbook of Automated Reasoning

Periodicals

• Journal of Automated Reasoning
• Journal of Formalized Reasoning
• Positive Thinking Magazine

Television programs

• Thinkabout (U.S. TV series)

Persons associated with thinking

People notable for their extraordinary ability to think

• Geniuses
  • List of Nobel laureates (see also Nobel Prize)
• Polymaths

Scientists in fields that study thought

• List of cognitive scientists

Scholars of thinking

• Aaron T. Beck
• Barry K. Beyer [2]
• Edward de Bono
• David D. Burns – author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy and The Feeling Good Handbook. Burns popularized Aaron T. Beck's cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) when his book became a best seller during the 1980s.
• Tony Buzan
• Noam Chomsky
• Albert Ellis
• Howard Gardner
• Eliyahu M. Goldratt
• Douglas Hofstadter
• Ray Kurzweil
• Marvin Minsky
• Richard W. Paul [3]
• Steven Pinker
• Baruch Spinoza
• Robert Sternberg

Related concepts

• Cognition
• Knowledge
• Multiple intelligences
• Strategy
• Structure
• System

See also

• Artificial intelligence
  • Outline of artificial intelligence
• Human intelligence
  • Outline of human intelligence
• Neuroscience
  • Outline of neuroscience
• Psychology
  • Gestalt psychology (theory of mind)
  • Outline of psychology

Miscellaneous

Thinking

Lists

External links

• The Psychology of Emotions, Feelings and Thoughts, Free Online Book