Deep thinkers wanted: Metacognition

Chapter 4 — Thinking is a conversation with the past in consideration of the future

“Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings — always darker, emptier and simpler.”― Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche by Rembrandt via Midjourney + me

Philosophers have long been concerned with thinking about thinking, or what is known as “metacognition,” because they believe that understanding how we think and why we think the way we do is an important part of understanding ourselves and the world around us. Thinking about thinking can help us to:

1. Reflect on our own beliefs and assumptions: By thinking about how we think, we can better understand our own beliefs, values, and assumptions, and we can reflect on whether they are well-founded and consistent. This can help us to form more accurate and reasoned opinions about the world.
2. Improve our decision-making and problem-solving skills: Thinking about thinking can also help us to become more effective decision-makers and problem-solvers. By understanding how we process and evaluate information, we can learn to think more critically and logically, and we can develop strategies for tackling complex problems.
3. Understand and address cognitive biases: Thinking about thinking can also help us to recognize and overcome cognitive biases, which are unconscious mental shortcuts that can lead us to make judgments and decisions that are irrational or flawed. By understanding these biases, we can learn to be more aware of them and to counteract them in order to make more accurate and unbiased judgments.
4. Explore fundamental questions about the nature of reality and knowledge: Finally, philosophers have long been interested in thinking about thinking because it can help us to explore fundamental questions about the nature of reality and knowledge. By examining how we acquire and process information, we can better understand how we come to know the world and what we can and cannot know.

Who are your model thinkers?

Overall, thinking about thinking is an important part of the philosophical enterprise, as it helps us to better understand ourselves and ideas shaping the world around us. It’s important to find your own guides while journeying across cognitive landscapes. Here are very incomplete lists of thinkers who thought about thinking and brief descriptions of their theories [a link to more comprehensive and more diverse sources follows these lists]:

From Plato to Nietzsche

1. Plato: Plato was a Greek philosopher who is known for his theories of knowledge and reality. He believed that the ultimate reality was not the material world that we experience through our senses, but rather a realm of eternal, perfect forms or ideas. He argued that knowledge of these forms could be gained through philosophical contemplation and that this knowledge was more real and reliable than sensory experience.
2. Aristotle: Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who was a student of Plato and is known for his extensive contributions to a wide range of fields, including logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, and biology. He believed that knowledge was gained through both experience and reasoning, and he developed a system of logic that is still used today.
3. René Descartes: Descartes was a French philosopher and mathematician who is known for his contributions to the development of modern Western philosophy. He is famous for his statement “Cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”), which suggests that the act of thinking is the foundation of our existence and our knowledge of the world. Descartes argued that knowledge could be gained through reason and that the mind and body were separate entities.
4. Immanuel Kant: Kant was a German philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of metaphysics and for his development of the concept of the “categorical imperative,” which is a moral principle that states that we should act only in ways that we could will to be a universal law. Kant argued that knowledge was gained through both reason and experience, and he believed that there were certain fundamental truths that were universal and independent of experience.
5. John Locke: Locke was an English philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of empiricism, the idea that knowledge is gained through experience and sensory perception. He argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth and that all of our knowledge comes from our experiences in the world.
6. David Hume: Hume was a Scottish philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of empiricism and for his skepticism about the nature of knowledge and causation. He argued that our knowledge of the world is based on experience and that we cannot know the ultimate nature of reality or the cause of events.
7. Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Rousseau was a French philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of political theory and his belief in the inherent goodness of humanity. He argued that society and institutions were responsible for the problems and inequalities that exist in the world, and he believed that a return to a more natural and simple way of life would be beneficial for humanity.
8. Thomas Hobbes: Hobbes was an English philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of political theory and his belief in the importance of a strong central government. He argued that people are naturally selfish and aggressive, and that a strong central authority is necessary to maintain order and prevent chaos.
9. John Stuart Mill: Mill was an English philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of utilitarianism, the idea that the greatest good for the greatest number of people should be the guiding principle for moral and political decisions. He argued that individuals should be free to pursue their own happiness as long as they do not harm others, and he believed in the importance of democracy and individual rights.
10. Friedrich Nietzsche: Nietzsche was a German philosopher who is known for his contributions to the field of existentialism and his critique of traditional Western values. He argued that traditional morality and religion were harmful and that individuals should create their own values and meaning in life. He also believed that the concept of “truth” was a human invention and that people should be free to create their own truths.

From Freud to Chomsky

1. Sigmund Freud: Freud was an Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who is known for his theories of the unconscious mind and the role of early childhood experiences in shaping adult behavior. He argued that much of human behavior is driven by unconscious desires and conflicts, and he developed techniques such as psychoanalysis to help individuals understand and resolve these conflicts.
2. Jean Piaget: Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who is known for his theory of cognitive development, which explains how children’s thinking and understanding of the world changes as they grow and develop. He argued that children actively construct their own understanding of the world through their experiences, and he identified four stages of cognitive development that children go through as they mature.
3. B.F. Skinner: Skinner was an American psychologist who is known for his contributions to the field of behaviorism, the idea that behavior is determined by reinforcement and punishment. He argued that human behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it, and he developed techniques such as operant conditioning to shape and modify behavior.
4. Erik Erikson: Erikson was a German-born American psychoanalyst who is known for his theory of psychosocial development, which explains how individuals develop a sense of identity and purpose as they move through different stages of life. He argued that each stage of development presents unique challenges and opportunities for growth, and that these experiences shape an individual’s sense of self and their relationships with others.
5. Abraham Maslow: Maslow was an American psychologist who is known for his theory of human motivation, which proposes that individuals have a hierarchy of needs that must be met in order to achieve self-actualization, or the realization of one’s full potential. He argued that individuals are motivated to fulfill basic physiological and safety needs before moving on to higher-level needs such as love, belonging, and self-esteem.
6. Carl Jung: Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who is known for his contributions to the field of depth psychology, which focuses on the unconscious mind and the psychological processes that shape behavior and experience. He argued that the unconscious mind is a source of creativity and growth, and he developed concepts such as the collective unconscious and the concept of archetypes to explain how the unconscious mind shapes human experience.
7. Margaret Mead: Mead was an American cultural anthropologist who is known for her contributions to the field of cultural anthropology, the study of human culture and society. She argued that culture plays a central role in shaping human behavior and experience, and she conducted extensive fieldwork in various cultures around the world in order to understand how different societies function.
8. John Dewey: Dewey was an American philosopher and educational reformer who is known for his contributions to the field of pragmatism, the idea that knowledge and values should be tested and evaluated through practical experience. He argued that education should be geared towards helping individuals develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be active, engaged members of society.
9. Jean-Paul Sartre: Sartre was a French philosopher and writer who is known for his contributions to the field of existentialism, the idea that individuals are responsible for creating their own meaning and purpose in life. He argued that individuals are free and responsible for their own actions, and that they must choose their own values and goals in life.
10. Noam Chomsky: Chomsky was an American linguist and cognitive scientist who is known for his contributions to the field of linguistics and his theory of universal grammar, which proposes that all humans have an innate capacity for language. He argued that language is an inherent part of the human mind and that it is not learned through experience alone, but rather through the operation of innate language-

From Kahneman to Diamond

1. Daniel Kahneman: Kahneman is a Nobel laureate and psychologist who is known for his work on behavioral economics and his theory of System 1 and System 2 thinking, which explains how people make decisions and judgments. He argued that people have two different mental systems for processing information and making decisions, one that is fast and intuitive (System 1) and one that is slower and more analytical (System 2).
2. Richard Thaler: Thaler is an economist and behavioral scientist who is known for his contributions to the field of behavioral economics, which combines economics with psychology in order to better understand how people make decisions. He argued that people are influenced by their emotions and biases when making decisions, and he developed the concept of “nudges” to help individuals make better decisions.
3. Daniel Dennett: Dennett is a philosopher and cognitive scientist who is known for his contributions to the field of philosophy of mind and his theory of consciousness, which explains how the brain produces subjective experiences. He argued that consciousness is a product of the brain’s computational processes, and he developed the concept of the “multiple drafts model” to explain how the brain processes information.
4. Steven Pinker: Pinker is a cognitive scientist and linguist who is known for his contributions to the field of psychology and his theory of the mind, which explains how the brain processes and represents information. He argued that the mind is a complex information-processing system that uses mental representations and algorithms to understand and interact with the world.
5. Sam Harris: Harris is a philosopher, neuroscientist, and writer who is known for his contributions to the field of philosophy of mind and his theories about the nature of consciousness and the role of science in understanding the world. He argued that science can provide a comprehensive understanding of the world and that subjective experiences are the result of brain processes.
6. Yuval Noah Harari: Harari is a historian and author who is known for his contributions to the field of history and his theories about the future of humanity. He argued that humans are at a crossroads, with the potential to either destroy themselves or create a more compassionate and collaborative society.
7. Richard Dawkins: Dawkins is a biologist and writer who is known for his contributions to the field of evolutionary biology and his theory of the selfish gene, which explains how natural selection operates at the level of genes rather than individuals. He argued that genes are the primary unit of selection in evolution and that they drive the evolution of traits and behaviors.
8. Jared Diamond: Diamond is an evolutionary biologist and author who is known for his contributions to the field of anthropology and his theories about the rise and fall of civilizations. He argued that the success or failure of societies is determined by a combination of environmental, cultural, and technological factors, and he developed the concept of “collapse” to explain how societies can decline or collapse.

Seek further: Totally History site of famous philosophers of more diverse groups and origins than the lists above.

READ: Chapter 5 — How to push be a more innovative thinker?