People don't think. With due respect, that includes you, too, hu-man. We're all just fragile people, flawed as thinkers.

Sure, we all pretend we're reasonable and logical. But, the truth is: Emotions always trump reason. (Look at Antony and Cleopatra, or Romeo and Juliet, or Larry Craig and that guy in the restroom.)

Human beings use logic as a crutch to rationalize their emotional decisions.

This is "A Course in Thinking." Thinking is hard. But you can do it. Just think 'til it hurts.

To solve most problems, there are five basic steps:

1. Define the problem.
2. Gather the facts.
3. Identify alternatives.
4. Compare pros and cons.
5. Pick the best solution.

It's simple—but not easy. Here are some common mistakes:

• Jumping to Solutions - People are impatient and people assume. But never skip Step #1. First, clearly define and fully understand the problem. Then, you won't end up wasting time and resources by attacking the wrong problem, which you don't really have.
  
  EXAMPLE: Say your country has (hypothetically) been attacked by terrorists. They plan to keep it up. If you define the real problem (say, stopping the terrorists), you'll know whether it's smarter to: (a) fight the terrorists and their charismatic leader in their own home bases (for example: Afghanistan and Pakistan); (b) make divisive speeches that smear all your opponents as cowards and traitors; or, (c) invade some bystander country that had nothing to do with the original attack and is not a home base for terrorists—until you invade. You make the call.
  
  
• Ignoring the Facts - Sometimes, people make up their minds to do something, regardless of annoying facts. If you want a certain answer, your fact-gathering can get tainted and be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You might overlook hard facts—if they disprove your solution—or "cherry-pick" evidence and filter out any truth that fails to prove your foregone conclusion.
  
  EXAMPLE: Suppose some professional researchers work full-time to understand world events, study countries, and gather data. But, you don't like their facts. You want a good "black-and-white" answer and they keep coming up with "gray." If you were a sloppy thinker, you might pressure the professionals to give you better "facts." Or, if that didn't work, maybe set up a new secret group to tell you what you really want to hear. And call it the Office of Special Plans.
  
  
• Failing to Plan - After you pick a solution, to win success, you still need a good plan. The old cliché says: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Your plan should be realistic, based on facts not assumptions, and not expect everything to go perfectly. A wise planner will make a Plan B for surprise contingencies, which may look improbable but could cause bad grief.
  
  EXAMPLE: Suppose you own a hot dog stand in New York. Your hot dogs sell okay. But you decide to build a new hot dog stand in, say, Qatar. (Somebody said Qatar is the richest country on earth and has nearly a million people.) So, you figure: They will welcome my hot dogs as liberators from their boring diet. Plus, you plan to get local hot dogs free in Qatar, so your stand will pay for itself: you'll get rich. Then, your buddy says, "Hey, stupid! Qatar is an Islamic country and the people there don't eat pork!" To which you reply: "That's impossible. My hot dogs taste terrific!"

COMING SOON