Learn To Think Using Thought Experiments: How to Expand Your Mental Horizons, Understand Metacognition, Improve Your Curiosity, and Think Like a Philosopher

They allow us to discover aspects of ourselves we might not have otherwise, and think of the ramifications of certain possible acts long before we are technologically capable of them.

In considering any argument or point of view, ask yourself: How would the world have to be if my theory were true? Is the world that way? What does my argument imply? Are the implications desirable/logical/true? And if not, does it invalidate my original argument?

It’s habitually asking “in what ways could I be wrong?” instead of “where can I find evidence that I’m right?” It’s this willingness to look at things one or two layers deeper that characterizes a higher quality of thought. While most people,

a way, asking what our tools can’t do makes them more effective than merely assuming they can do it all, and then being proven wrong when we attempt to use them to solve problems they can’t solve.

For Plato, being able to turn your head and educate yourself on the real sources of your immediate experience is akin to learning about his Forms. (He was, ironically and unfortunately, rather

Any time we deliberately manipulate conditions around us and carefully note the outcome, we are doing an experiment. Granted, not every experiment is going to be rigorous or perfectly sound! Nevertheless, experimentation is a method of patterning and understanding our encounters with the world. The concept behind this book is that some of the best

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, is a little like having a mini skeptic on your shoulder. If

A big part of a thought experiment is thoroughly considering the consequences and implications of certain conditions, actions or choices. It’s more along the lines

What are the differences between what we think we know and what we do actually know—and how could we ever measure the distance between the two?