I certainly do my abstract thinking in language, because it works so well for me to organize abstractions that way. Carlin’s comedy is very verbal and it’s clear he thinks a lot in language. But I wonder whether this is an oversimplification. When I’m planning the structure of this back deck I’m building (yes, already building in my mind) I’m thinking in angles, weights, spans, and the strength of various materials. I’m imagining weight-bearing schemes, flat planes that may catch wind, drainage patterns, frost heave moving foundation posts, and stuff like that. I can think about this stuff while listening to music with lyrics, whereas I can’t write or read when any song is playing. Just now as I put this deck-construction thinking into words I’m having to reduce its complexity a lot. I think the same can be said of other kinds of thinking. It’s an interesting topic for discussion.
I certainly do my abstract thinking in language, because it works so well for me to organize abstractions that way. Carlin’s comedy is very verbal and it’s clear he thinks a lot in language. But I wonder whether this is an oversimplification. When I’m planning the structure of this back deck I’m building (yes, already building in my mind) I’m thinking in angles, weights, spans, and the strength of various materials. I’m imagining weight-bearing schemes, flat planes that may catch wind, drainage patterns, frost heave moving foundation posts, and stuff like that. I can think about this stuff while listening to music with lyrics, whereas I can’t write or read when any song is playing. Just now as I put this deck-construction thinking into words I’m having to reduce its complexity a lot. I think the same can be said of other kinds of thinking. It’s an interesting topic for discussion.