How do you think?

[philosophicalbastard]

I've spent most of my life in my head playing around with many different ideas. Only recently did I discover how I went about thinking of something.

I will start with a root concept and then build upon it with corresponding evidence. I mean, I will literally stack ideas ontop of this concept. This happens till I find something contradictory to the idea, which knocks this tower of thought down.

So how would you say you think?

 

[SovietSecrets]

Randomly. I'll start mid way with a concept and try to work my way forward and then backwards with it until something happens. I don't care about the result, I just like to have fun thinking and making things up.

 

[gee666]

With the solution and then I try to figure out what it's for

 

[philosophicalbastard]

With the solution and then I try to figure out what it's for

I have one answer that needs a question, but I'm afraid if found it the universe would end.

Spoilered for your, and everyone else's, safety.

Spoiler

42

 

[Hiikuro]

Depends on what I'm thinking about. For more philosophical ideas I walk through the topic asking myself questions, while being extremely observant of whatever logical fallacies I might use, and frequently I argue against myself. Which is fun in a discussion if I'm trying to make a point, then before my opponent can speak a word I'm already refuting myself.

For more artistic, aesthetic, or otherworldly thinking, I travel through a massive web of associations. Seeing connections and patterns. Play around with weird and nonsensical ideas. Trying to imagine things which is seemingly unimaginable. It is quite difficult to explain how I think in this case, as I tend to walk to places words can't form.

 

[Swaki]

logical, which is not uncommon for people with asperger, i try to take feelings and beliefs into consideration but its hard, i also have a habit of jumping ahead, something my math teachers always hated, i just wrote down the answer without actually knowing how i got there, i was right about 90% of the time though i rarely got good grades since they are more interested in the method you used to get the answer.

For more abstract things like art i just break down the piece (be it a painting, song, game or movie) into different important groups and then evaluate it piece by piece before giving it a "grade", so for instance if a song has catchy music but horrible lyrics i will not be able to enjoy it.

that's the best way i can explain how it think, not a easy task its like explaining a colour ^^.

 

[Lyx]

I don't really have a formularic way how i develop understanding. There are just some very generic patterns that repeat:

- I have a universal model that describes how interactions and relationships work. In principle, this is just a synthesis of "logic", cybernetics and behaviourism, applied to everything that is. The purpose of this model to me isn't a ruleset that lets me calculate everything - it doesn't replace other methods, but more is used like a universal compass (though, with an arbitrary amount of dimensions).

- For unknown territory, i tend to first gather data and then use abduction/patternmatching/intuition, to get a pool of candidate ideas.

- When i already have a pool of ideas, i tend to exclude, include and refine by using induction and deduction.

- I place high importance on synthesizing senses and criteria. Unless the circumstances are special, i will combine visual, conceptual and emotional imagination, will combine introspection, extrospection and self-POV, and will consider small, medium and large scale (time and space).

- If possible, i prefer simple, clean and flexible ideas, that can for special circumstances be extended on-demand.

 

[SimuLord]

I'm a firm believer in "don't think, just do." Not because one should rush into things without considering them first, but more because a simple faith in one's abilities and a trust in the fact that overthinking would only screw it up tends to work best.

I can get pretty deep inside my own head, but all it's ever done is put me in position to fail by driving myself crazy.

 

[Guffe]

I have no freaking idea how my mind works and I hope to keep it that way.

 

[rokkolpo]

I just go with what pops in

I discuss with friends and we come to a conclusion.

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

I think of an answer, then I think up how I got it...

It's not a very effective way of working...

 

[TheEvilCheese]

With the solution and then I try to figure out what it's for

I have one answer that needs a question, but I'm afraid if found it the universe would end.

Spoilered for your, and everyone else's, safety.

Spoiler

42

What do you get if you multiply six by nine?
Damn, so close.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

An inner monologue runs through my bobbing head. That's how it always has been

 

[Erana]

I'm very idealistic, and not opposed to dropping whatever I am doing/thinking to admire the good and beauty of something. I fear thought loops and one-sidedness because of my father, so I try to be as unbiased as possible and learn as much about a conflict before I even begin to take sides. However, I do have a righteous streak on me, so I can be a bit adamant about things like manners and respect for others.

 

[StBishop]

I generally think in scentences or a combination of imaginary three dimensional objects acompanied by a disembodied voice.

My thought process is generally either a monolouge or a conversation between two opposing view points, like when I need to make a decision.

I quite often skip from one topic of interest (a memory, a question I had earlier in the day that wasn't answered, a hypothetical situation and it's solution) and if it's boring or not engaging I move on to a slightly associated topic. Similar to word association.

When I have problems I usually have maps or diagrams or three dimentional models as mentioned before and try to solve the problem like that.

EDIT: To clearify, I imagine the shape is scaled down to fit in my head and imagine what it would look like and I imagine that I'm hearing the words as I think them. If I'm thinking what I should say to someone I often move my tounge as I think the words, similarly to how people will say things as they write/type them.

 

[Tharwen]

I'm not quite sure. I often try different ways, with different results (Example: I once went ruthlessly logical on myself and came up with the conclusion that it's alright to hurt people as much as you want as long as they die soon afterwards, before I realised exactly what that implied).

Most of the time I'm pretty sure I don't actually have any thought structure. Thoughts just randomly appear, and other ones converge on them to create one massive hyperthought.

 

[El Poncho]

I'm not sure how I think, the closest thing I know about how I think is in maths when adding/taking away in maths I'll break it up.

Say it's 26 + 7, I can't just go, aha! 33! I first add on 4 so it's 30 then add the remaining 3 left from the 7.

Maybe I take my ideas that way? I split them up into more understandable methods then add it together, that might be why people in my class say I'm good at helping them when their stuck, I know how to break it up into simpler ways because that's what I do all the time.

 

[Burningsok]

Depends on what I'm thinking about. For more philosophical ideas I walk through the topic asking myself questions, while being extremely observant of whatever logical fallacies I might use, and frequently I argue against myself. Which is fun in a discussion if I'm trying to make a point, then before my opponent can speak a word I'm already refuting myself.

For more artistic, aesthetic, or otherworldly thinking, I travel through a massive web of associations. Seeing connections and patterns. Play around with weird and nonsensical ideas. Trying to imagine things which is seemingly unimaginable. It is quite difficult to explain how I think in this case, as I tend to walk to places words can't form.

Hu, that's kind of what I do. I'll bring up a topic in my mind and then debate it with myself. Hell I'll pace around my room and talk to myself. I do it everyday.

 

[Gruevy]

Most of the time I'm pretty sure I don't actually have any thought structure. Thoughts just randomly appear, and other ones converge on them to create one massive hyperthought.

That's the one.

Attempting to describe a thought right now, I perceive associations and inter-relations between concepts and processes detailed in a way that is difficult for me to express in writing, because words only capture a shadow of what has already been thought. I can grasp things embedded in my memory and make them interact with incoming data which opens more possibilities that are revolving around a steadily growing "core". I suspect the "core" acts as a guiding principle for the thought to manifest as an external construct, such as written language, a mathematical formula, or music.

 

[General Vagueness]

Ideas or just thoughts about an object, action, or attribute flow to and fro with no rhyme or reason I can discern, and if it's interesting enough I latch onto one for a while before letting the flow continue again.