Description
Eight Elements of Thought and Reasoning
There are eight elements of thought in reasoning. We often use more than one element at the same time. For example, your Point of View includes Assumptions. Therefore, we can assume that these elements are two aspects of the same thing.
For your assignment this week, first begin by analyzing eight elements of thought and reasoning and re-organize them into four distinct categories by pairing elements together.
Next, briefly describe each new category you created and present your reasoning for each category. Include the characteristics of the original eight elements in your descriptions and the reasoning behind your pairings
Category:
Point of view is …
Assumptions are…
Explanation…
Example:
Below is an example of what one category may look like. You are free to pair any elements together if you can define their relationship to one another. Focus on the reasoning behind each pairing. That is what is most important in this exercise!
Example Category:
Category 1: How do I see it?
Point of View: The place from where I see things
Assumption: Information that is taken for granted; Preconceived notions
Explanation: I paired point of view and assumptions together in the same category because assumptions form your point of view. You cannot form a point of view without having assumptions first.
Example: My assumption is that short people are not good at basketball. My younger cousin is 5’ 3’’ and is terrible at the sport. Therefore, my point of view is that no short people can play basketball professionally.
Your completed assignment should be written primarily in first person and should be 500-750 words in length. If you use sources in your writing, be sure to identify them. If you use any direct language from a source, be sure to place those words in quotation marks.
Explanation & Answer
Í
Charles Darwin stated that the highest possible moral level that humans are supposed to reach is
to learn how to control our thoughts and what we do. In accordance to this, every human is able to make
sane decisions upon reaching maturity. However, the way people this is different. This is obvious, since
people are different in nature. Consequently, over the 20th and 21st century, different people seem to
have developed different theories on the importance of thinking skills. Irrespective of this, many factors
can affect how one thinks, including age, environment and circumstance at hand. With consideration to
this, Thinking skills can be classified into several categories. With this in mind, one cannot rule out the
importance of thinking. This is what differentiates us from animals. Whitehead explained that one cannot
be a good thinker, unless he gets used to holding big ideas and sticking to them like grim death.
(Whitehead, 1914). Trying to understand how people think is hard however, as the thoughts are things
we cannot touch nor see. Thus, evaluation becomes tough. However, the behaviourist theories developed
by psychologists such as Thorndike help to expain that the thoughts of an individual can be explained by
their behaviours. This has helped in evaluating the change in thinking skills of people who lived in separate
generations. As a result, this paper will aim to explain the different thinking skills; which are,
interpretation, analysis, inference, explanation, evaluation and finally, self regulation.
1) Interpretation
This refers to the ability of an individual to comprehend any kind of information being presented to
him/her. In this skill, the recipient of the information is expected to have the ability of communicating
the information with others, while depicting the original information and knowledge that was passed
on.
Application Examples:
One can be presented with demographic information, with an objective of targeting a new breed of
customers for a newly introduced product in the market. The skills of interpretation will enable one to
understand the information and add some clarity to what you have discovered in your interpretation.
Consequently, the ability to interpret situations is vital in noticing new opportunities for customers in
your company. It is an important skill in identifying market opportunities as well as noticing niches in the
business market.
explanation:
This skill requires the best of attention from the recipient of the information. The recipient should also
embrace a diverse thinking mentallity, which will allow for easy comprehension and proper
understanding of hidden meanings in the message. Consequently, this is the first and most vital skill, as
they complement each other. Failure to understand the intended information means that the
subsequent thinking skills will not be put into application. This skill requires critical analysis of the
information from all possible meanings, to derive the most from the knowledge passed.
2) Analysis
This refers to the ability of the recipient of the info...
