As we navigate through life, our ability to think critically and creatively becomes increasingly important. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who wants to improve their mental abilities, reading books can be an incredibly effective way to sharpen your thinking skills.
Recently, a valuable Twitter thread by @SystemSunday shared a list of 8 books that will help you improve your critical thinking, expand your intellectual horizons, and become a more effective problem solver.
8 books that will sharpen your thinking:
= thread = pic.twitter.com/ayDlaetqf0— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
Super Thinking
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann
Lessons:
• Use first principles (foundational facts)
• Ockham's Razor: simple is often best
• Correlation ≠ causation
• Much, much more pic.twitter.com/kTHA5hiLuS
Thinking, Fast and Slow
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Daniel Kahneman
Lessons:
• We think in two systems (1=automatic, 2=considered)
• The mind uses shortcuts to make decisions
• We often make emotional, not rational, decisions
• Learn to slow down; engage with System 2 pic.twitter.com/IhDS42S9co
Predictably Irrational
Book by Dan Ariely
Lessons:
• Neoclassical economics is incomplete
• Psychology helps us understand real-world behavior
• Free is not just a price; it disrupts our rational thinking
• The first price we hear anchors
• Owning leads to overvaluing pic.twitter.com/fVMUp7nz0O— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
Think Again
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Adam Grant
Lessons
• Knowing what you don't know is wisdom
• Identify with your values, not beliefs
• Strong leaders engage their critics to learn
• Ask this question (to yourself and others): "How do you know?" pic.twitter.com/zOC3YXiCxr
The Art of Thinking Clearly
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Rolf Dobelli
Lessons
• Learn fallacies + biases that limit you
• We seek information that confirms pre-existing beliefs
• Value = perceived availability
• People conform to groups to avoid exclusion
• Too many decisions cause decision fatigue pic.twitter.com/21VgG08KR8
Designing the Mind
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Ryan Bush
Lessons:
• Our minds are the ONE thing we can control
• Stabilize emotions to use them proficiently
• Greatness is a state where nothing can disturb you pic.twitter.com/JD2xAjeQSF
Thinking in Systems
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Donella Meadows
Lessons:
• To change any system, focus on 12 points of leverage
• Purposes are deduced from behavior, not words
• Create feedback loops pic.twitter.com/0yAD7hzO5s
The Great Mental Models
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) March 18, 2023
by Rhiannon Beaubien and Shane Parrish
Lessons:
• The map is not the territory
• Solve problems backward with inversion
• Use thought experiments to test your ideas
• Second-order thinking = consequences of first-order impacts pic.twitter.com/p9BUtZYggy
