Abstract Thinking In An Increasingly Abstract World

Descartes, a 17th century philosopher is famous for saying I think, therefore I am. According to him, human beings are not using much of their thinking brain. And we find a similar sentiment in modern science in which it is perceived that we're using only a small fraction of our brain. I'm not sure whether thinking should occupy the remaining fraction but the argument holds much weight.

To me, thinking is hard especially when we have so much external stimuli to process at any given moment. I find myself having incomplete thoughts, jumping from one train of thought to another. It seems that to push thinking into the background and default to auto-responding is easier than the otherwise much needed willpower to think.

A phenomenon happened in the late 18th and early 19th century, It's the Industrial Revolution. It was also a period of cultural change apart from the technological and socioeconomic change that were happening. And it is believed that the impulse to think abstractly by default started around that time.

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Complexity And More Complexity

Abstract thinking is basically thinking without any practicality or objective involved. You can also say indirect thinking where by instead of getting to the heart of the matter, you merely contemplate its overview or surroundings. It is thinking without any direct substance to the object/subject.

Thinking about the universe is abstract while thinking about how your day went is not. Technology has much to do with making us perceive the world abstractly which subconsciously influences human beings to develop abstract thinking. Before the advent of modern technologies, almost everything around us was only understood practically. We understand more than that these days.

Now, understanding more comes with its benefits and drawbacks, it doesn't necessarily make our life easier. Just like becoming an adult doesn't mean we now figure out what life is about. Far from it, it's a transition from one stage of life to another, each having its own set of challenges.

Drawbacks And Benefits

If you've ever engaged in a deep philosophical discussion or consumed its materials, then you might have come across the experience of being temporarily dissatisfied or even detached from reality. When you contemplate the possibility that you could be a tiny speck of dust lost somewhere in the universe, the prospect of achieving that financial goal of yours stops becoming exciting enough to pursue.

That's a notable drawback with abstract thinking and many of us experience it every now and then, a disengagement from reality. Philosophy is just a common example. It could happen in any other setting provided it is abstract enough.

However, I believe one of its benefits is very useful in the increasingly complex modern era. It allows us to be smarter and more brilliant, build better and more efficient systems, and solve bigger problems. I don't know if there's a standard name for it but I'll call it frictionless thinking.

It's the ability to connect dots that are either practically not seen or obvious enough. Like standing at the summit of a mountain and taking in the whole view in front of you. You can bypass conventional approaches, think outside the box and create something completely new.

Conclusion

They say change is constant. Everything is changing and when it comes to our thinking, there is a steady move towards abstraction. Everything around us is becoming abstract and in my view this has given birth to much superficiality in our world. However, I think this is the cost for having the ability to understand multiple dimensions and explore different possibilities.

Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.