Learning to Think

There is no shortage of critics bemoaning the mediocre performance to the US education system, offering a variety of structural reforms to curb the problem (see here, here, and here). These reforms take many forms such as improving incentives for teachers, charter schools, ending the age segregation of students, modifying grading systems, and reevaluating the underlying philosophy of teaching. As someone who believes that education (and the development of young people in general) is one of the fundamental elements to building a strong society, I fully support ideas like these. That said, I am also skeptical of the ability to create structural change of large, complex, and entrenched systems like the one in the United States.

Now for a quick story. Not long after I completed my post-secondary education I spent some time reflecting on the whole process and what I had learned. What smacked me in the face was not in regards to what I learned...but instead, what I didn’t. I learned a lot about what to think, but never how to think. I never had to take a class on philosophy, memory techniques, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, behavioral economics, or logic. Maybe even worse I never learned how to defend myself against bad ideas and contagious thoughts. Where were the classes on cognitive biases, rhetoric, technology’s influence on the brain, and the subversion of our minds through advertising?

WHAT THE HELL!? How was I never told any of this? How was none of this considered relevant or important to my education? This insight served as a spring board for my own self-education that has carried on for years now. I been absorbing all the books, videos, podcasts, and techniques that can find. I’d like to imagine that I am a better thinker as a result and yet still a far cry from where I want to be.

Circling back to where this musing started...barring a systemic change in our education system (which may take years or decades) I think we need to focus on the more salient goal of making changes to our current curriculum. Namely we need to be teaching students how to think. Or maybe if that sounds a bit Orwellian, teaching them how to learn. This shouldn’t require wholesale reform legislation or demolition of teacher unions or a restructuring of public funding, merely a change in curriculum.

Giving students the tools they need to learn, rather than the thoughts they need to think seems to be an achievable goal that everyone can agree on. Maybe implementing such a change will allow the next generation to be better positioned to figure out how to reform the system overall. 

Your Phone: a Tool or a Distraction?

I just wanted to share a quick tip that has been useful in my life and is likely applicable to yours. Recently I’ve been concerned with the effect my phone has on my relationships, my mind, and how I spend my time. As such, I have framed this problem in a way which has helped to shift my usage and allow me to catch myself acting in ways (given a contemplative mood) that I would rather not.

Before reaching for my phone, I try to pass my decision through a simple logic gate...am I going to use it as a tool or as a distraction?

If the answer is the latter, I will often opt to spend my time more wisely. There are some exceptions to this rule such as, if I am on a plane or on the toilet. I’ll except the waste of a few distracted moments in those cases. But more often than not, I only want to use it if it is aiding me with getting somewhere, learning something, or achieving a goal. That is to say, as a tool.

A variation on this question is just attempting to identify how I will use my phone before I pick it up. I find myself (and I’m sure you do the same) reaching for my phone instinctively. If I can think about why I am reaching for my phone before I do, it can cut off my impulse and make a wiser decision...ideally. None of us are perfect.

We Are All Information Systems: Vol. I

Recently my mind has stumbled into some of the interesting similarities between humans and computers which have captured my attention. The first example of this (and possibly the most pragmatic) is the utility of a reboot.

Any tech support person worth a damn knows that the first step to troubleshooting a buggy system is to do a reboot (it never ceases to amaze me how often this actually works). That’s the nature of computers. They are very complex systems and after operating for a long period of time without a break, things just start getting unreliable, unpredictable...weird.

Seemingly this is precisely the same way that humans operate. We have limits to our operating capacity before we start being incapable of properly processing information. Have you ever struggled with a complex or stressful problem all day with not progress only to wake up the next morning with the solution staring you right in the face? Or maybe the more common case...a funk. Emotionally erratic. Physically off balance. Sluggish in thought. All seemingly irreversible until we just take time to shut down, power up, and come back for another day.

To take this analogy further, we can consider a soft reboot. With a silicon-based information system sometimes you don’t need to reboot the whole system, you can just restart the app, service, or daemon. With a human information system you can do the same. This comes in many forms. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Take a long walk. Distract yourself with some mindless media. Unplug from media completely. Meditate.

So the next time you are ready to throw yourself against a wall or take yourself into a support specialist, maybe try some reboot first.

Disclaimer: As with computers, if reboots aren’t working, maybe a support specialist is your best choice.