I do agree, there are several types of thinking, yes. Thinking refers to the process of creating a structured series of connective transactions between items of perceived information.

Relation between creative and critical thinking are given by the following Ven diagram!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_thought

http://www.r-e-m.co.uk/logo/?comp=twp&html=vocab.html

http://www3.wooster.edu/teagle/vendiagram.php

I think that there are several kinds and levels of thinking.

:)

I do agree, there are several types of thinking, yes. Thinking refers to the process of creating a structured series of connective transactions between items of perceived information.

Relation between creative and critical thinking are given by the following Ven diagram!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_thought

http://www.r-e-m.co.uk/logo/?comp=twp&html=vocab.html

http://www3.wooster.edu/teagle/vendiagram.php

Thinking is process  between inferences and assumptions.

Dear Ljubomir,

You have shared very good Venn diagrams and important links of information about thinking.  

"Cogito ergo sum". It seems that thinking was given for Descartes! Trying to define everything leads to circles. Giving e.g the definition "Thinking can refer to the act of producing thoughts or the process of producing thoughts." I do not it is appropriate, and it is rather ciclic!

The best might be to give a cognitive  development of thinking.

What is the process of thinking? How does thinking work? Is the process of thinking different from person to person? I think thinking is both biological and chemical interactions.

Dear Dejenie,

You are a champion of asking something too difficult!

Dear All,

“Once upon a time, Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. He was conscious only of his happiness as a butterfly, unaware that he was himself. Soon he awaked, and there he was, veritably himself again. Now he does not know whether he was then a man dreaming he was a butterfly, or whether he is now a butterfly, dreaming he is a man.”

To dream may be equal to think!

Dear All,

I know many people who in the possession of our splendid neuron apparatus and its wonderful “thinking” ability are not merited thorough their deeds, sentiments, desires and living activity the capability of thinking.

Dear Dr. Dejenie A. Lakew,

The brain determines how we feel, think and act. When our brain is working at peak performance, it allows us to be at our best, because it controls the rest.

Dear Andras,

Thank you.

The difference is in logic and emotion.

Dear Dejenie,

Thinking, it seems to me, is reflection of any kind: I acquire self-awareness, whether or not directed toward the world outside me.  Do animals think?  To the degree they have any self-awareness.  Recently, a dangerous shark had a large fishhook removed from its jaw by a certain diver.  Subsequently, the shark returned to the waters where it apparently sensed the same diver was swimming and allowed that diver to pet it affectionately under the jaw.  This is extraordinary behavior for a shark. It must show some sort of self-reflection on memory in the animal, however rudimentary.  The shark recalled itself being relieved of pain by the diver.  Self-reflection is probably a less problematic concept even than instinct. 

Dear Nelson,

Do you think animals only have a cognitive capacity of up to self awareness?  We even debated whether animals can be considered as scientists because of their capacity to solve problems of their own in a sophisticated way. The shark I assume is a fast learning sea creature that identified his reliever and expresses his thankfulness  by forwarding a friendship request. 

I believe that thinking is a combinatorial process. All known patterns are compared with a given situation untill a (partial) solution is found. The given situation together with the partial solution build a new situation, and thinking is restarted. At this level there is no difference between thinking and critical thinking - because they work similarly. Computers do not think in the moment - they just run algorithms. There are few programs doing a kind of thinking, but their non-determinist part is not so much optimized like the non-determinist run of an animal brain, so they need too much time to find a solution. This can change in the future.

Dear Mihai,

essentially you are talking about algorithmic or machine thinking! Real thinking should be something alse!

Many sub-questions... As for the main one, thinking is a biological process of our body (not only brain) in order to solve the problem under consideration. Memory or the intensity of each situation is the judge for redirection to instinct (automatic solution) or to thinking (prototype solution).

Thinking is the act of engaging in intra-communication, in other words communicating internally at different levels of abstraction. You could think about things related to real life, as you may think about things that relate to the imagination.

Dear Dejenie;

Henri Bergson attributed memory to muscles. Muscle somehow stores memorized experience. This is why most of us drive without conscious reflection. Is this cognitive capacity in animals?, you ask. Without a doubt. Knowledge of the world is being processed or potentiated by the muscles. Is this self-awareness in animals?, you also ask. I would say, yes, in a kind of larval form.  It may not be full, abstract self-awareness of which we humans are capable.  Yet it undoubtedly involves cognizance of what the animal (say, a shark) has gone through and is going through now.  I try to keep "instinct" out of the picture and concentrate on what experience tells us (and animals). 

@ Costas Drossos

In a precedent post I have written "I believe that thinking is a combinatorial process. All known patterns are compared with a given situation untill a (partial) solution is found. The given situation together with the partial solution build a new situation, and thinking is restarted. At this level there is no difference between thinking and critical thinking - because they work similarly". Costas Drossos replyed: """essentially you are talking about algorithmic or machine thinking! Real thinking should be something else!"""

Dear Costas, I don't know... I really believe that the dynamic part of thinking is really like that, in no matter which area. Differences appear in the order and criteria how ""known patterns" are sorted for checking. "Smart" thinkers have a very well optimized data basis for looking for patterns, so they need to check only less patterns in order to find a solution, and they find it faster. Intuitive thinkers have more fluid criteria for trying patterns, and so find solutions in a "surprising" way. Logic is not a separated package in our thinking: logical patterns are already embedded in our pattern collection. Education increases the quality of thinking by both increasing the quality and quantity of the pattern collection, as also the exercise of thinking. 

After writing those lines, I have just remembered that Sokrates has a similar opinion in one of Plato's dialogs. He says something like "to think means to remember". Yes, but to remember the right thing, and checking what is right and not, is a part of thinking. The other parts, like instincts, emotions, etc..., which are common to the most animals, are just other decision mechanisms, not thinking. I find more difficult to analyze them, as to analyze thinking.

Dear Mihai,

To put things in place, let me recall again, that brain is made up by two hemispheres build on the arch-encephalon. The right hemisphere is logical,algebra, linguistic, discrete, sequential,analytic, etc whereas the right hemisphere is intuitive, phantasy, geometry, holistic, etc. Thinking is the dialectics of left and right. It might be possible, but unnatural, to express thinking using the modes of one hemisphere. Modern mathematics seems to pursue this path!

From this perspective what you said is clearly left hemispheric! My objection is that there is right hemisphere as well!

@ Costas

OK, I understand the point. Geometry and holistic are more likely to be solved by checking patterns than phantasy and intuitive thinking. However, they can be also done by checking patterns, with appropriate criteria of choosing patterns to check and/or keeping the (partial) solution. That things are not at all easy to explain is clear if we rember that there are peoples which a """vision""" that they pursue along their whole life, in order to accomplish it. It is the "vision" a result of thinking? I would say yes, but a lot of people might be of different opinion. Also about your argument: it is possible that the two hemispheres just contain different collections of patterns, and the operations done with those patterns are similar, maybe not only the nature of patterns are different, but also the operations. As far I am informed about neurophisiological research, there is no argument for the second hypothesis (that the phisical way of thinking was different in the both hemispheres) but maybe the actual techniques of research are not fine enough. It was just my opinion, but I remain open to all other opinions. Thank you!

I think that every action of humans is a result of thinking; creative doings need more concentration and thinking.

Dear Brenda,

I think what Descartes wanted is to underline the necessity of thinking for humans existence even to declare it and said in a fancy way " I think therefore I am " as opposed to not every thing that exists " thinks ". Thinking beings are aware of and know their existence while non thinking things may not aware of their existence.

Dear Mihai,

I suggest to have a look at my paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261412431_Gognition_Mathematics_and_Synthetic_Reasoning

Chapter Gognition, Mathematics and Synthetic Reasoning

Thinking is one critical trait which differentiates human being and propels science. 

Dear friends, worth to watch, follow the link! "French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) proposed "the cogito" as demonstrating the most fundamental epistemological principle upon which all knowledge is based."

http://www.amazon.com/Cogito-Ergo-Sum-Life-Descartes/dp/1567923356

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE8dL1SweCw

Thanks dear @Costas, very fine chapter/seminar Cognition, Mathematics and Synthetic Reasoning  on this matter! (there is typing mistake in tittle!).

Although his main quest and philosophical treatise were on what existence is, the video describes the stand Descartes had : the uncertainty of certainty and the non-existence of every thing that humans perceived exist because of an external persuasion he argues- a little hard to validate and prove in argument and reasoning. 

Dear Costas,

Thank you for sharing your very interesting work on very important topics.

 The process of using the mind to consider something carefully. It is a complex process. The surrounding situations can matter a lot on the process of thinking.

For more information, the link attached can be important to you:

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

I also want to add that human consciousness (or soul, identity) is unique, which science has been trying to define but so far inconclusive.

"Can we really transfer our soul to a machine?" You can find such debate in many science fiction TVs or movies such as Star Trek and The Outer Limits.

Dear Dr. Dejenie A. Lakew,

Thinking is a very complex reality which governs by knowledge strength, comprehension approach, application style, analysis methodology, synthesis capability, and evaluation practice. 

I agree with Dr Afaq. I would like to add that thinking can be also defined as the process of using your mind to consider something carefully.

Hopefully, dear @Mohammad, to consider something carefully in order to make a decision, right?

Thinking is for human the part of instinct which have been replaced!

I think that the process of thinking is complex, based on the quality and quantity of knowledge one could have on the specific question, the logical approach, the speed of the reasoning process, and the arguments derived from the response or the idea generated by the question or the matter, mixed with the emotional behavior of the thinker (introvert, extraverts, neutral, egocentric, etc...)

Dear Bernd,

The more analytic detail destroy the holistic picture! The thinking was this. The savage human may by much more instinctive than the present day human. The left and right hemisphere was build much after, I do not know when. I believe that having the two hemispheres rational thinking started, and through natural selection, a large part of instinctive processes was replaced step by step with intelligent thinking. Thus what instinctive processes are missing from savages, makes what we called "thinking"!

Satisfied?    

Thinking Styles Questionnaire

http://www.thinkwatson.com/mythinkingstyles-start

Dear Bernd,

Some singers, sing without thinking! Not instinctively, but reflectively! What today  constitutes thinking, some billons of years before has started as a complex of instincts. May be to impressed the other gender! 

But why you don not see that what we are today started very long before and through natural selection we are what we are! There is no one-to-one correspondence from there to today, but a process of getting more and more close. Since Cara Dillon is alive, means that is coming from such a savage!  

Dear Dr. Dejenie A. Lakew,

When we map and classify thinking on the basis of consciousness it may be of a nature of proactive or neutral or reactive.

"Decision making stems from thinking, but we act and react on instinct," I quote myself.

"Thinking can improve our instinct for better action and reaction next time," I quote myself.

Very interesting point, Bernd. Is that called having a second thought? through which we can refine our thinking and better our judgement. I do see the limitation though, but rationality is relatively limited to information asymmetry. 

Dear Bernd,

What about Lorrena McKennitt in comparison with Cara Dillon?

What our subconscious mind wants to express....is thinking I think so...

Dear Prof. Dejenie A. Lakew,

Thinking simply equates to conscious cognitive processes. To have or formulate in mind.

Here comes to my mind the Ivan Pavlov’s dog  with the conditional reflex. Dr. Pavlov won the Nobel Prize (1904) in Physiology and Medicine for those experiments.  We were taught at school  the conditional reflex in animals. Even by observing our own pets, I  now believe that there is some process of thinking going on, but they cannot hold one thought too long. So my views changed. There were studies that intellectually a grown up dog is on the level of a 2-year old human.

Dear Prof. Dejenie A. Lakew,

Thinking is reaction to a range of stimuli which starts a process to simulate past, present and future.

Dear Prof. Afaq Ahmad, 

Indeed thinking is a continuous cognitive processes of the mind to reason, imagine      from multitudes of stimuli on a continuum of time to make decisions,  Well said.  

Dear Natalia,

You are correct on the short term memory of dogs, although they might have a long term memory on things that were traumatic or bad in general negative but there are animals with incredible memories that even outlast that of humans. For instance  octopus, chimps, dolphins, elephants, sea lions, nutcracker birds are few from the list of animals with incredible memory spans. But still they are not shown the kind of cognitive processes what we humans call it thinking per se. But good point on short term memory. 

Dear Prof. Dejenie A. Lakew,

Continued ... from previous

Thinking is reaction to a range of stimuli which starts a process to simulate past, present and future.

Some of the signals (stimuli) which was due to incidence may exist in its form. Such stimulus may reflect in our 'pseudo (transient) thinking.

This is about thinking skills! "Thinking skills are the mental processes that we apply when we seek to make sense of experience. Thinking skills enable us to integrate each new experience into the schema that we are constructing of "how things are". It is apparent that better thinking will help us to learn more from our experience and to make better use of our intelligence." Thinking skills model follows!

http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/ThinkingSkills.htm

http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/ThinkingNatCurr.htm

In The Origin of Species and later works such as The Descent of Man (1871) and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), Darwin established the animal roots of humanity, and described close psychological and behavioral relations between humans and other animal species. He argued that humans are different from animals “in degree, not kind.” The evolutionary continuum throughout the animal world has no dividing point separating unintelligent and intelligent life, but rather a development of consciousness, intelligence, subjectivity, choice, and freedom stretching from elementary organisms to complex thinking animals. Scientists embraced his theory of evolution while ignoring his ethological work, for this they found repugnant to their speciesist prejudices and subversive to business-as-usual in the vivisection research and pharmaceutical industries where the pursuit of profit cannot be troubled by moral conscience and ethical truths.

http://www.inclusivedemocracy.org/journal/vol5/vol5_no2_best_minding_animals.htm

Dear Meghda, 

I am not sure what you are saying? Are you supporting dear Costa's ideas as you are quoting him.

The very act of ‘thinking about thinking’, in which people develop an understanding of how brains and behaviours work, has the potential to empower people as part of a new model of active, 21st century citizenship. A process of deliberative discussion, teaching and personal reflection is a means to bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical strands involved instructing people in the way their brains, behaviour and environment interact, so that they can better ‘think about thinking’ and also ’think about behaving’. Setting ‘thinking about thinking’ is a powerful tool for engaging and empowering pupils which also seems to raise attainment and improve behaviour.

https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/reports/steer-the-report/Download

Think Scenarios, Rethink Education is fine OECD research report. "What happens in education today will affect the lives of individuals and the health of whole communities for decades to come. Yet educational decision-making is mostly about dealing with pressing immediate issues or seeking more efficient ways of maintaining established practice, rather than about shaping the long term. How to redress the balance? Scenario methods offer one highly promising answer..."

http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/thinkscenariosrethinkeducation.htm

We don’t know exactly which kind of thought we use, and where it comes from. Everything is mixed with inspiration, motivation, observation, expectations and much more.

The collective unconscious  may be a source of inspiration, although it may not be localized in the brains. Artists as jazz players might find a way to get there while improvising. A jazz player uses different kinds of thinking during a concert, this is very interesting because here you can follow how he thinks and how the group responds. Their thought can catch some feelings and bring this over to the public.

After all, all the senses and the thought as well, are based on the fabrication of molecules, proteins, hormones, neurotransmitters. 

It is easier to remember something if there is a correlation between the state of emotions, the moment of the fact and the moment of the memory.

High sensitive persons have a thinking on their own.

Dear @Dejenie, the previous post does not have any relation to the thread as it is pure copy/paste plagiarism. I have attached the resource. I have already informed @Saeed  at many different threads!!! There was no reaction, on the contrary!

"You have tears in your eyes and I can feel them welling up in mine. I’ve seen you grow from a timid, innocent child into a gregarious, self-confident young adult. I’ve been there for you when you’ve fallen out with friends, other teachers and even family. Our relationship is strong enough that we will be happy exchanging stories when we meet on the street and you’re with your own children. I will always treasure that bond. I will remember so many of you and your friends, even if your names escape me.

My colleagues are a different story. I respect you, admire your dedication and professionalism, but can’t quite understand why you put up with the way you are treated. Not by the students, but by the school. A bloated body of managers, many of whom haven’t taught in years. Driven by data and every new initiative, they have lost touch with where they came from.

Without teachers who prioritise their rapport with pupils and make learning a fun, collaborative experience, the school is losing its soul. That’s why I’m off. The school won’t blink. I’ll be replaced by a trainee at half the cost. My colleagues will train them and pick up the slack.

I am sick of being assessed solely on the hoops that you want us to jump through, every lesson. I want a job where who I am counts as much as what I do. I want my old job back.

I’m not bitter. I’m disappointed. I’m sorry if I’m letting down the children whose lives I’ve changed, and for whom I’ve made learning enjoyable again, but the rewards of my profession have diminished to the point they are no longer enough. Here’s to a brand new start."

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jul/25/what-really-thinking-ex-teacher

Dear Ljubomir,

Thank you for pointg that out. I am sure dear Saeed Noori is a scientist and knows the right way of utilizing ideas when it is not generated from self. Proper citation is imperative in order ethical and right way of developments of science takes place, without which our efforts are lost in vain. 

Thinking is a regular process of our mind. We all know that our mind does not remain quite without any thinking line of action.Mind takes rest when we are in sound sleep condition. In our sleep movement ,quite often in the line of our thinking we experience a dream process & that becomes our next day mental activity of our thinking.

Thinking is not a bad signal .Thinking in right direction offers us a good thought for a day which may also become a part of our action for our life.

Confusion comes whenever thinking becomes a part of our day dreaming . As human beings for thinking line of action we should not forget that it becomes a part of our conscious- subconscious & sometime even for our unconscious mind also .

For every human beings we have a certain negative elements & traits for which we should remain all the time conscious so that this may not remain the part of our surface on our Mind or so to say our conscious mind .This is very important for every of us .

It is in the line of thinking which is nothing but the challenge of our life .It is this challenge as we as a human being become a virtues ,honest ,trust worthy to make our life pleasurable & worthy .

This is my personal opinion 

We think even during sleeping. At least some people :)

Thanks Bernd for your another way of looking at thought as a noise of intelligence for an effect. 

Natalia, indeed  thinking is a continuous activity of the brain and as long as we are alive consciously or subconsciously, we always ponder and  think. It is only when we are dead that we stop to think. 

Higher Ed's Biggest Gamble

Whether we can actually teach students critical-thinking skills is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood issues in higher education today, argues John Schlueter...

"“The university seeks to foster in all its students lifelong habits of careful observation, critical thinking, creativity, moral reflection and articulate expression.”

“… University fosters intellectual inquiry and critical thinking, preparing graduates who will serve as effective, ethical leaders and engaged citizens.”

“The college provides students with the knowledge, critical-thinking skills and creative experience they need to navigate in a complex global environment.”

These are but a tiny sampling of the mission statements from higher education institutions around the country where critical thinking is a central focus. Indeed, in many ways, critical thinking has become synonymous with higher education. Yet we have not found evidence that colleges or universities teach critical-thinking skills with any success..."

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/06/07/can-colleges-truly-teach-critical-thinking-skills-essay

Thinking is a very dangerous process because it can lead to an ‘idea fix’: always the same neurons which are firing, always the same corridors to linger, always the same molecules to come into production. This can be misleading.

Now and then we must improvise and see what's coming out.

The computer is led by program but a man is led by effort to remove drudgery :-)

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself.

                                                                      ----  Plato 

Indeed Plato puts it right, thinking as a voiceless talk within the person. 

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

What is thinking? It is the activity of searching out what must be true, or cannot be true, in the light of the given facts or assumptions.

                                                                              ----  Dallas Willard

Thinking can be stretched further from an activity of searching for truth and falsity based on existing assumptions to pondering what other unknown phenomena might exist that demands new assumptions and principles - imagination,  as thinking of a higher order outside of existing systems.   

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully, his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him flows toward him.

                                                                 ----  Norman Vincent Peale

We live by what we practice daily and that practice becomes our behavior. Those who live in negative or positive areas practice those behaviors and become their way of thinking. It is therefore from the ground that we grew up all things emanate as a behavior. Scientific thinking and reasoning should override those negative behaviors as they do not have rational basis. Science and reasoning are not only good to solve natural problems but to build a modern human behavior as well.