How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process

An excellent book. The only thing lacking is a societal/political context in which thinking, learning and teaching take place, and how that context affects all of the above. But still, many ideas that are incredibly relevant after all of these years.

This worthy book is a reminder of how much times change but some things still stubbornly stay the same. Written over a hundred years ago, the book opens by describing the basic problems facing Western education today: the mushrooming of subjects, the chaos of curricula and the clamour of intransience, prejudice and flippancy.

Dewy explains why it is important to think clearly – sadly a rarely exercised skill. Then he argues that effective thinking should be education’s primary goal. Furthermore he goes on to explain what effective thinking amounts to and how it can be accomplished.

This is indeed a classic work from a noble and sensible era. In contrast much of modern philosophy seems to have surrendered its soul to celebrity, dogma show more and pride. Consequently it is refreshing to read an author who takes the time to explain his terms and to argue his points rationally. For modern audiences, some definitions might benefit from further finessing. Nonetheless his language is clear and moderate, and it is accompanied by many apt analogies. Thus this book was well worth resurrecting as a paperback. show less

This is a outstanding theory of the process of thinking. Dewey's explanation separates the idea of thoughts from the process of thinking. Thinking, not something we turn on or off, is constantly refining itself. What we believe is a structure of gaps between information we have secured and the next thought we wish to secure. And we decide how secure each becomes. Each gap is a leap of faith from one perceived secure footing to the next. The journey never ends.

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Contents

PART I
THE PROBLEM OF TRAINING THOUGHT

I. WHAT IS THOUGHT? i
II. THE NEED FOR TRAINING THOUGHT ... 14
III. NATURAL RESOURCES IN THE TRAINING OF THOUGHT 29
IV. SCHOOL CONDITIONS AND THE TRAINING OF THOUGHT 45
V. THE MEANS AND END OF MENTAL TRAINING: THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND THE LOGICAL ... 56

PART II
LOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

VI. THE ANALYSIS OF A COMPLETE ACT OF THOUGHT. 68
VII. SYSTEMATIC INFERENCE: INDUCTION AND DEDUCTION ......... 79
VIII. JUDGMENT: THE INTERPRETATION OF FACTS . . 101
IX. MEANING: OR CONCEPTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING . 116
X. CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT THINKING . . . 135
XL EMPIRICAL AND SCIENTIFIC THINKING ... 145

PART III
THE TRAINING OF THOUGHT

XII. ACTIVITY AND THE TRAINING OF THOUGHT . . 157
XIII. LANGUAGE AND THE TRAINING OF show more THOUGHT . .170
XIV. OBSERVATION AND INFORMATION IN THE TRAINING
OF MIND 188
XV. THE RECITATION AND THE TRAINING OF THOUGHT 201
XVI. SOME GENERAL CONCLUSIONS . . . . ,214

Portable Document Format has 242 pages.

SA - https://www.librarything.com/work/32433223/book/266244407 | https://www.librarything.com/work/13996188/book/254691083 | https://www.librarything.com/work/33345113/book/277288636 | https://www.librarything.com/work/557598/book/242310960 | https://www.librarything.com/work/13996188/book/254691083 | https://www.librarything.com/work/32432598/book/266234364 | https://www.librarything.com/work/8950437/book/266202790 | https://www.librarything.com/work/10029698/book/266142554 | https://www.librarything.com/work/1720352/book/266136829 | https://www.librarything.com/work/28622/book/261885605
RT - Education
BT - Philosophy
NT - Thinking
UF - Epistemology
SN - This PDF was downloaded from the internet server/database where the work is stored. (This entry does not reference a hierarchical list) show less

SUMARIO

Prefacio a la nueva edición 9
Prefacio a la primera edición 11
Introducción a la edición española 13

PRIMERA PARTE

EL PROBLEMA DE LA FORMACIÓN DEL PENSAMIENTO

1. ¿Qué es pensar? 19
2. Por qué el pensamiento reflexivo tiene que constituir un
objetivo de la educación 33
3. Recursos innatos en la formación del pensamiento 51
4. Las condiciones escolares y la formación del pensamiento 69

SEGUNDA PARTE
CONSIDERACIONES LÓGICAS

5. Proceso y producto de la actividad reflexiva:
proceso psicológico y forma lógica 85
6. Ejemplos de inferencia y de comprobación 103
7. Análisis del pensamiento reflexivo 113
8. El lugar del juicio en la actividad reflexiva 129
9. Comprensión: ideas y significados 141
10. Comprensión: concepto y definición show more 157
11. Método sistemático: control de los datos yevidencia 171
12. Método sistemático: control de razonamiento y conceptos 183
13. Pensamiento empírico y científico 193

8 CÓMO PENSAMOS

TERCERA PARTE
FORMACIÓN DEL PENSAMIENTO

14. Actividad y la formación del pensamiento 207
15. De lo concreto a lo abstracto 221
16. El lenguaje y la formación del pensamiento 231
17. Observación e información en el adiestramiento mental 247
18. La recitación y la formación del pensamiento 259
19. Algunas conclusiones generales 277
Índice analítico y de nombres 289 show less