Why Develop Thinking Skills
What sets human beings apart from the other animals is the capacity to think, to think about thinking, and to wonder about the infinite. When one exercises thinking, one challenges themself to try something that is difficult, to go beyond what is comfortable, to understand themself and humanity, to cultivate who they are as a person and how they want to live their life. It may be challenging, it may be anxiety inducing, it may be frustrating, it may be freeing, it may be enriching. Most individuals find the work a combination of these.
Why would someone work on developing thinking skills?
Improvement : They want to exercise their thinking to be creative, to be agile, to be light, to improve their reasoning skills. The more they exercise thinking, the easier it becomes, the more their articulation of ideas is clear to themself and others. They want to improve.
Habituation : They want to avoid atrophy. They recognize that the mind, like a muscle, must be exercised routinely in order to maintain a healthy condition. They see the benefits of the work, the detriments of stagnation. They want to maintain healthy habits.
Plasticity : They want to be open to challenging the assumptions they hold, to be able to try different ideas, to understand different perspectives. The more they exercise thinking, the less they hold and defend dogmatic positions, the more they see the playfulness of reason. They are attracted to the plasticity of reason.
Self knowledge : They want to identify their modes of being to understand and acknowledge who they are existentially and psychologically, their values and desires, their meaning and purpose. They want to understand themself.
Self examination : They want to recognize, critically evaluate, and consciously choose the perspectives, values, prejudices, obligations, and goals they hold so they can live more consciously. They desire to choose who they are.
Self actualization : They find that the more they work on their thinking, the more their attitude towards life and reason is playful and intentional. With this, they become more conscious, more deliberate, and more purposeful about who they want to be. They want to decide what their life means.
Self expression : They find a need to express themself on the world. Existence necessitates expression, whether through procreation, violence, success, fame, or legacy. Reason, dialogue, writing, articulating ideas are rather healthy ways of striving for immortality beyond physical limitations. They seek to express themself.
Worldview : They suspect that life must be something more than work, repetition, obligation, joy, and pain. Philosophical exploration helps understand the world deeper so they can better determine their own existence. They can decide their relationship with the world.
Freedom : They find thinking skills freeing. The more they expose themself to the world and how it works, the more they play with different worldviews, the more they question assumptions and recognize the ability to choose, the more freedom of thought and choice they are able to exercise. They embrace freedom.
Joy : They find developing thinking skills joyful because the work is challenging, and wrestling with difficulties results in satisfaction when making discoveries, expressing themself, and recognizing an ease in thinking. They discover that thinking work fulfills the unique experience of being a rational human being. They find joy in being a rational being.