Thinking, Language, Intelligence

1. Thinking, Language, & Intelligence �The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.� Lines Pauling We humans are a funny species. As a civilization, we have invented the wheel, kept historical records to guide present and future generations, landed space ships on the moon, unlocked the atom, cracked the genetic code, and revolutionized the face of all we do with computers that bring us into the global Internet. When you stop to think about it, our list of triumphs is long and very impressive. Yet at the same time, we massacre each other in war, wreak havoc on the environment, discriminate against racial and ethnic groups different from our own, mistreat our partners in marriage, throw hard-earned money away in games of chance, take drugs that make us sick, and deceive ourselves into believing in alien abductions. What is it about the way we humans think that lead us to be both rational and irrational? How do we solve difficult problems and then evaluate the solutions, and what kinds of errors are we prone to make along the way? Are we logical in our reasoning, or are the judgments and decisions we make infected with bias? And what role does language have to play in the way we think? What is language and is it this capacity that most clearly separates humans from other animal species? In the coming days, we will examine some of the basic processes of thought and language, then address the question of how they are related. But first, let�s examine concepts � the basic building blocks of abstract thought and language.We humans are a funny species. As a civilization, we have invented the wheel, kept historical records to guide present and future generations, landed space ships on the moon, unlocked the atom, cracked the genetic code, and revolutionized the face of all we do with computers that bring us into the global Internet. When you stop to think about it, our list of triumphs is long and very impressive. Yet at the same time, we massacre each other in war, wreak havoc on the environment, discriminate against racial and ethnic groups different from our own, mistreat our partners in marriage, throw hard-earned money away in games of chance, take drugs that make us sick, and deceive ourselves into believing in alien abductions. What is it about the way we humans think that lead us to be both rational and irrational? How do we solve difficult problems and then evaluate the solutions, and what kinds of errors are we prone to make along the way? Are we logical in our reasoning, or are the judgments and decisions we make infected with bias? And what role does language have to play in the way we think? What is language and is it this capacity that most clearly separates humans from other animal species? In the coming days, we will examine some of the basic processes of thought and language, then address the question of how they are related. But first, let�s examine concepts � the basic building blocks of abstract thought and language.

2. Thinking What is it? Manipulation of words & images Cognitive psychology Studies how the mind Organizes perceptions Processes information Interprets experience