The good news is that we are all born with the innate ability to think abstractly and logically to some degree. However, we humans differ significantly in the extent to which we apply logical reasoning or engage in abstract thought.
In his bestseller, Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman outlined the two modes of thinking that he called System 1 and System 2. Roughly speaking, System 1 mode consists of intellectual processes that are “hard-wired” into our psyche and are performed automatically, or with minimal effort. Our startled reaction to an unexpected loud noise or sexual arousal in response to a pheromone are examples of the System 1 mode, as are swinging a bat or catching a ball. This is the visceral component of our thinking. System 2 consists of activities that require full attention and often sustained mental effort, such as counting the number of words in a sentence or filling out a government form. This is the cerebral component of our thinking.
Kahneman asserts that System 1 thinking is fast and frugal, i.e., it happens almost instantaneously and demands little cognitive energy. System 2, on the other hand, is slow, but systematic, requiring full attention and consuming significant mental energy. During our existence as hunter-gatherers, visceral thinking was called into play much more often than cerebral thinking. However, as our species developed technologies, our survival demanded increasing amounts of cerebral processing. Success in war was determined not by the size of a tribe, but by the technology of its weaponry. Enhanced quality of life came from technological invention fuelled by abstract thought, i.e., System 2 thinking.
In response to the demand for a workforce that could engage in System 2 thinking, governments in First World countries began expanding educational facilities and emphasizing the importance of acquiring an education. This meant that young people were encouraged to engage more often in logical and abstract thinking. When Einstein was in Boston, a reporter challenged him with a question taken from the famous Edison test, “Dr. Einstein, what is the speed of sound?” Einstein responded, “I don’t carry such information in my mind since it is readily available in books.” The reporter persisted, “Mr. Edison contends that a college education is of little value.” Einstein responded, “The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.” By this, Einstein meant, “System 2 thinking.”
However, thinking abstractly makes heavy demands on the psyche as it depletes the glucose in the brain. As University of Toronto professor Joseph Heath observes:
The mind simply didn’t evolve to support the sort of linear, explicit processing that is the hallmark of rational thought … thus the way your brain feels after writing an exam is like the way your back feels after a long day spent lifting boxes–Neither was designed for the task that it is being asked to perform.
The fact that logical and abstract thinking involve considerable effort discourages most people from engaging in this process whenever possible. It is also the reason why so many people dislike mathematics. Mathematics demands System 2 thinking, compelling us to think logically and in the abstract. By contrast reading an interesting novel appeals to System 1, visceral thinking. A person can read 50 pages of a novel, riding an emotional roller coaster in the time it would take them to master a page or two of a calculus text. How many people pick up a math textbook for recreation?
Those who develop the habit of System 2 thinking, eventually find it less taxing and somewhat engaging, just as those who develop a habit of physical workouts make it part of their lives. In our modern society, there is a high premium on those who are able to engage frequently in logical and abstract thinking. Indeed, most, but not all, high achievers engage regularly in logical reasoning and abstract thought. So, we all have the potential for abstract thought and logical thinking, but the extent to which we embrace it depends on our ability to overcome a natural inertia.
