Thinking: Exploring Mental Life 121
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to
- define thinking;
- specify three basic kinds of mental concepts;
- describe various strategies for solving problems;
- explain how mental sets can present obstacles to solving problems;
- distinguish between logical thinking and logical errors;
- state the core feature of the creative process.
When you think about a bird, you tend to concentrate on its ability to fly. The
bird could be said to be the “flying animal.” When you think about a fish, you
tend to concentrate on its ability to swim. The fish could be said to be the “swim-
ming animal.” Similarly, when you think about human beings, one thing in par-
ticular seems to stand out—our ability to think. The philosopher Aristotle said
that the human being is the thinking animal.
The philosopher René Descartes tried to find a bedrock for his own philo-
sophical viewpoint. He mistrusted much learning and doubted the truth of much
so-called knowledge. He asked himself what he could be certain of. His answer
was that he was certain he existed. And how was he certain that he existed?
Because he was thinking. He reasoned, “I think, therefore I am.” And this became
the starting point for his philosophical reflections.
More recently, William James, the founding personality of a school of psy-
chology called functionalism, defined psychology as the science of mental life.
And this is close to the commonsense view of psychology. Most people think of
it in this way. It is the science of the mind; and the concept of the mind includes
both our conscious awareness and our ability to think.
(a) The philosopher Aristotle said that the human being is the.
(b) The philosopher Descartes said that the fact that he was a thinking being made him con-
fident that he.
(c) James defined psychology as the.
Answers: (a) thinking animal; (b) existed; (c) science of mental life.
Note in the paragraphs above that not only thinking was implied, but think-
ing about thinking.That’s what we will be doing in this chapter. The process of
thinking about thinking is called metathought.Although we take for granted
