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Human beings stand out from all things and stand at the top of the biological chain, which is inseparable from the invention of language and writing, the mastery of iron smelting technology, and the use of fire.
The invention and use of language and writing has greatly promoted the communication and knowledge inheritance of human society, and has become the cornerstone of the development of civilization. They allow ideas, cultures, and wisdom to be transmitted across time and space, and promote the deepening and breadth of human cognition. It not only improves the efficiency of information transmission and promotes brain development, but also provides indispensable conditions for large-scale production collaboration.
The mastery and use of iron-smelting technology enabled mankind to move from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, greatly improving the durability and practicality of tools. The wide application of iron tools not only significantly improved the efficiency of agricultural production, such as the use of iron plows, iron hoes and other agricultural tools, but also made agricultural work easier and more efficient, thereby promoting the increase of food production, and also promoted technological innovation in many fields such as handicrafts, construction, transportation, etc., as well as the prosperity of social division of labor and trade. Not only that, but the more far-reaching impact is that the impact of iron-smelting technology on military warfare is also extremely significant. The advent of iron weapons has fundamentally changed the shape and scale of warfare, which has further affected the evolution of the country's political and social structure.
The use of fire marked the beginning of man's control over the forces of nature, not only providing warmth, lighting and cooking, breaking the time constraints of day and night, extending activity time and life expectancy, but also playing a key role in driving away wild beasts and opening up land. The application of fire has greatly improved the survival ability of human beings and laid a solid foundation for the progress of human society.
And all this, in turn, has shaped the most essential and core characteristics that distinguish human beings from other species: the ability to think, the ability to solve problems, the need to think, the review of work, the need to think, and the need to think to learn knowledge...... Thinking happens all the time for human beings. But do we really know how to think? There are two things worth paying attention to when it comes to thinking about thinking:
First of all, what is the purpose of clear thinking?
I'm sure you'll blurt out that the purpose of thinking is, of course, to solve problems. That's right, but it doesn't stop there. Thinking is not just about accepting new experiences, but also about discarding outdated experiences and false ones. Nokia used to be a leader in the mobile phone market, known for its rugged phones and innovative designs. However, with the rise of smartphones, Nokia adhered to its original mobile phone design concept and operating system, and did not adapt to the new changes in the market in time. This caused Nokia to gradually fall behind in the competition in the smartphone market and eventually lost its market leadership.
When it comes to embracing new experiences, Nokia initially had little awareness of the importance and potential of smartphones. And when the company realized this, it relied too much on its old Symbian operating system and did not move to more advanced operating systems such as Android or iOS in time. This makes Nokia's smartphones unable to compete with their competitors in terms of features and user experience.
In terms of discarding outdated experiences, Nokia needed to abandon its traditional mobile phone design philosophy and operating system in favor of smartphone products that were more in line with market needs. However, this transition process is very difficult due to factors such as culture and the pattern of interests within the company. Nokia ultimately failed to make this transition, leading to its failure in the smartphone market;
Another case is Kodak. Kodak is a leader in traditional film photography, with a strong brand presence and market share. However, with the rise of digital cameras, Kodak failed to adapt to the market changes brought about by this new technology.
In terms of embracing new experiences, Kodak was initially skeptical about the potential and market prospects of digital cameras. The company relied too heavily on its traditional film business and did not actively invest in the development of digital camera technology. When the market began to shift to digital cameras, Kodak found itself lagging far behind its competitors in this regard.
In terms of discarding outdated experience, Kodak needed to abandon its traditional film business and turn to the field of digital cameras. However, this transition was very difficult for Kodak, as the film business has always been the company's core business and source of profits. Kodak ultimately failed to make this transition, causing it to lose the competition in the digital camera market and eventually file for bankruptcy protection.
Both cases show that embracing new experiences and discarding outdated ones is key for businesses to remain competitive in an ever-changing market environment. Only by constantly adapting to new changes in the market and discarding outdated experience can companies stay ahead of the curve and achieve sustainable development.
Human thinking patterns and ways of behaving often have inertia, and they unconsciously use the experience of the past to guide today's tasks. However, things are always changing, and some of the experiences that were considered effective in the past are likely to be invalid or even burdensome if they are used now.
Fake experience is also wary of outdated experience. People tend to do things based on the success they are accustomed to, thinking that the obvious behavior in the past is the cause of a problem, but this is not the case, it is just a false experience. Brian Grisham, author of How to Be Smarter and a professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland, believes that when a person finds a reason for something, the first thing that comes to mind is the reason he is most familiar with, but not necessarily the most real reason. People do this only because, biologically, finding the reason from the most familiar place is the most energy-efficient way of thinking.
Faced with a false experience, the authors suggest helping with reverse thinking. Reverse thinking, also known as reverse thinking, is a special way of thinking. It usually involves looking at and solving problems from the opposite side of the problem or from an unconventional perspective in order to think outside the box and find new solutions or perspectives. This way of thinking helps to uncover possibilities that are overlooked by conventional thinking and often triggers innovative insights or solutions.
One success story using the reverse thinking strategy is the launch of the Swatch watch. In the early 80s, the Swiss watchmaking industry was facing a huge impact from Japanese quartz watches. Although Japanese watchmaking is not as good as Switzerland, the quartz watches produced are accurate and inexpensive, posing a serious threat to the Swiss market for high-end mechanical watches.
Most Swiss watchmakers have chosen to improve the craftsmanship and technology of mechanical watches in an attempt to compete with Japanese watches in the high-end market. But Swatch Group Chairman Nicholas G· Hayek, on the other hand, adopted a strategy of thinking backwards. He believes that the strength of Swiss watchmaking lies in its design and branding, rather than in the pursuit of technology and the high-end market.
As a result, Hayek launched the Swatch watch. Made of plastic, this watch has a sleek design, bright colors, and an affordable price. It doesn't strive for extreme accuracy or long-term durability, but rather on style and replaceability. This strategy of thinking backwards broke the rules of traditional watchmaking, and the Swatch quickly became a fashion symbol and a huge success worldwide.
Swatch's success is a testament to the power of thinking backwards. By starting from the opposite side of the problem, Hayek found an entirely new solution that not only saved the Swiss watchmaking industry, but also created an entirely new market.
Second, are you using intuition correctly?
It is generally believed that thinking is an absolutely rational process, relying on a logical brain (i.e., slow thinking) rather than an emotional brain (i.e., fast thinking). If you think that good thinking, you should remove all emotional factors, including intuition. But this is not the case with the real thought process, and good thinking also includes an intuitive factor, which depends crucially on how to use intuition correctly.
Suppose a person makes a decision, despite looking at a lot of data and doing a lot of research beforehand. But when it comes to making a final decision, you find yourself hesitant for a moment, so you have to be vigilant, stop what you're doing for a while, and think carefully about what is wrong. In this case, if you do something and your intuition tells you to just rush forward, you need to use your intuition as a throttle and you need to stop immediately. The reason why intuition is used as a throttle is that the brain is driven by the emotional brain and manifests itself as impulsive in specific actions. As the saying goes, impulsiveness is the devil, and you must avoid doing things impulsively.
In summary, one should think not only to accept new experiences, but also to discard outdated experiences and false ones. When making decisions, it is necessary to rely on rational brains and make logical reasoning. To a certain extent, it is also necessary to trust the role of intuition. Whether intuition can have a positive effect depends on whether we think of thinking as a brake, not a throttle.