Monday, April 27, 2015

Writing, thinking, deciding



Writing is on the decline. Thoughtful, precise writing has been replaced by emails, tweets, FaceBook posts and briefings filled with incomplete thinking. This decline of writing skills is causing a corresponding decline in thinking skills (or is it the other way around?). Writing is most valuable as a powerful way of thinking. Writing helps us express our thoughts in a logical and coherent way. It forces us to critically examine our own thinking, which ultimately leads to better thinking, better problem solving, and - more than likely - better decision making. If we want better thinkers and decision makers, we should start by educating better writers. 

Many people talk about thinking "outside the box" - sometimes, thinking is enough on its own.

1 comment:

HMS Defiant said...

No.

You would like to think so but no.

Imagine my surprise in 1988 to find that one of my officers could neither add/subtract or do simple arithmetic and could barely spell his name.