Lots of types of thinking

Computational thinking

This morning I read an interesting article in the New York Times about computational thinking. One interviewee described it as follows:

Skills typically include:

  1. recognizing patterns and sequences
  2. creating algorithms
  3. devising tests for finding and fixing errors
  4. reducing the general to the precise
  5. expanding the precise to the general

I am currently learning the Swift programming language using Apple’s Playgrounds application for the iPad as well as the Xcode integrated development environment (IDE) for creating applications on iOS and macOS. This has me practice points 2 and 3 quite a bit. I would say that points 1, 4 and 5 have been particular strengths of mine for a very long time.

Design thinking

I also recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review about design thinking.

General thinking

This comes on the heels of finishing Michael Lewis’ book The Undoing Project, about the work of Daniel Kahneman and the late Amos Tversky. I am in the process of reading Nudge by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler, before heading back to finish up Daniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking Fast and Slow, which goes into the different thinking systems that we call upon in different situations. After that book, I plan to read Hooked by Nir Eyal. These books touch on the topic of behavioural economics. I previously read Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational.

I also read this article on Medium about how to remember what you read and I plan to re-read it again so that I can begin to apply its principles.

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