Deduction is a conclusion about a particular subject, logically derived from the general. Many of us read novels about an English detective who revealed even the most intricate crimes. And the method that the famous Sherlock Holmes successfully used is precisely the deductive way of thinking. The development of deductive thinking is a long-term process, requiring special concentration and zeal. To do this, you will have to learn to disassemble the subject of study in-depth, in-depth, without making hasty conclusions.
How to develop a deductive method of thinking?
- Strangely enough, but in the development of deduction you will be helped by ordinary school problem books. Take textbooks on several different subjects and solve all the exercises given there.
- Train the flexibility of thinking. Do not rush to conclusions, even when the answer is obvious. Try to find several alternative solutions for each situation.
- Reading fiction, analyze characters, try to calculate events in advance, based on their characters and even surrounding objects. Remember the famous phrase: "If in the first act on the wall there is a gun, then in the latter it will necessarily shoot."
- Read a small cognitive article and retell it in your own words. Do it systematically. Try one and the same article retell several times, but with the use of other words.
- Be inquisitive. The world is constantly evolving, so finding something interesting for yourself is not difficult. Do not neglect new knowledge.
- Walking along the street, watch people carefully. Try to determine their nature, place of work or position, age and marital status. Pay attention to the nonverbal: facial expressions, gestures, gait.
- Observe the laws of logical thinking (identity, excluded third, non-contradiction, and the law of sufficient reason), and do it consciously, remembering each one, and not automatically.
- Learn to build logical chains. The most frequent example is the question of whether Socrates is mortal. You can, of course, argue that his wisdom is eternal, but logically everything is a little different: all people are mortal. Socrates is a man, which means he is mortal.
- Listen carefully to the interlocutor. Try not to miss a single detail of the conversation. Over time, try to learn how to remember not only speech , but all incidentally occurring events. That is, pay attention to the picture as a whole: what the interlocutor says, who at this time passes by and how it looks, what sounds you hear.
In the development of deductive thinking special exercises and tasks will help you, for example, try to solve the famous riddle of Einstein. By the time spent on its solution, you will be able to assess your level. Solve it in the mind can only about 5% of people. The answer can be seen at the bottom of the article.
Tasks for the development of deductive thinking.
- A person lives on the 15th floor, but does not reach the ninth in the elevator. The rest of the way he does on foot. Up to the floor the person goes in the elevator only in rainy weather, or when it is accompanied by someone from neighbors. Why?
- The father comes home from work and notices that his child is crying. When asked about what happened, the child answers: "Why are you my father, but I'm not your son at the same time?" Who does this child have?
Answers:
- The person is still small and does not reach the button of the 15th floor. In rainy weather, it reaches the desired button with an umbrella.
- It's a girl. Accordingly, the daughter.
The answer to the riddle of Einstein:
