The hottest Thinking Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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The 12 new idea books to launch 2024

Granted • 11240 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
📚 Literature Mental health Connection Leadership Thinking Burnout
  1. Mental Health and Well-Being: Discover how a little therapy can lead to lasting change and how to move from languishing to flourishing.
  2. Connection and Community: Learn about the power of being like-hearted without needing to be like-minded and practical steps for unity in a divided world.
  3. Leadership and Power: Explore resources on fixing organizational problems, finding purpose after major life transitions, and improving critical thinking for wiser decisions.

The 11 New Idea Books to Spring into Summer

Granted • 5690 implied HN points • 30 Apr 23
📚 Literature Motivation Work Social Change Thinking
  1. Motivation is key: Explore books on perfectionism, finding motivation, and unleashing creativity to overcome obstacles and move forward.
  2. Work-life balance matters: Discover titles advocating for good quality jobs, designing work around life, and finding significance in work for a fulfilling career.
  3. Social change and innovation are crucial: Learn from books on sparking revolutions, promoting inclusivity, and reimagining government for a more inclusive and digital future.

Why writing = thinking

Devansh’s Newsletter • 10 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🚌 Education Writing Thinking Communication Skill development Learning
  1. Writing helps us organize our thoughts, making it easier to solve complex problems. It's like having a tool to keep track of many small ideas that add up to a bigger solution.
  2. Our short term memory can be a barrier to deep thinking, but writing lets us externalize our thoughts. When we put ideas on paper, it frees our mind to focus on bigger concepts.
  3. Writing can be a personal journey and may change over time. It's important to find what feels right for you, rather than feeling pressured to perform.

Thinking Books

The Biblioracle Recommends • 1041 implied HN points • 21 May 23
📚 Literature Thinking Books Philosophy Education
  1. Thinking about thinking and the value of engaging in purposeful thought is important for personal growth and creativity.
  2. Writing a book proposal can help to clarify thoughts and ideas, even if the book may not come to fruition.
  3. Reading books that make you think and reflect, such as those exploring spirituality, education, and creativity, can be a valuable way to enhance your thinking process.

The Changing Role of Design

The Intersection • 732 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
🪑 Design Industry Thinking Craft Creativity
  1. The design industry is evolving, with a shift from traditional design agencies to transformation consultancies.
  2. Design thinking has democratized design, making it more accessible but may have overemphasized thinking over the act of making.
  3. The role of designers in digital products like Threads may not always be obvious, as factors like timing and innovation can play a key role in success.
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Organic & compositus belief

Philosophy bear • 71 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Beliefs Ideologies Thinking Revision Criticism
  1. Beliefs can be organic or compositus, with different approaches to spreading and defending them
  2. Organic beliefs are more open and less defensive than compositus beliefs, making them better at adapting and working with other ideas
  3. Compositus beliefs can lead to group fragmentation under tough times, while organic beliefs are more adaptable and open to revision

Five product design concepts

A Bit Gamey • 20 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🪑 Design Product Simplicity Thinking
  1. Simple design is often harder than complex design but worth it in the end. It's about stripping away unnecessary elements and focusing on core functionality.
  2. First principles thinking, 80/20 rule, MVP, and understanding user journey are important product design concepts. They help in focusing on what truly matters to users and building valuable digital products.
  3. When designing digital products, prioritize simplicity, test underlying assumptions, focus on high-value features, build MVPs for initial user feedback, and ensure a smooth user journey.

Meta-knowledge

Metarational • 19 implied HN points • 26 Apr 21
🚌 Education Logic Puzzles Thinking Knowledge
  1. Meta-knowledge involves the understanding of other people's knowledge, leading to concepts like meta-meta-knowledge and common knowledge.
  2. Puzzles, like the blue eyes puzzle, are great examples to demonstrate the complexity and power of different levels of meta-knowledge.
  3. Understanding meta-knowledge is crucial in various contexts, helping to make sense of social customs and intuitions that may otherwise seem arbitrary or senseless.

Decoupling decoupling from rationality

Unconfusion • 1 HN point • 07 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Rationality Cognition Psychology Thinking Bias
  1. Some people think differently about ideas, separating them from context, while others mix context with their thoughts. This difference can help explain disagreements between people.
  2. Rational thinking involves a careful process where we slow down our automatic thoughts and consider ideas more deeply. This is important to avoid mistakes and biases in our reasoning.
  3. The term 'decoupling' has changed over time and now it sometimes refers to a personality trait rather than a careful thinking process. It's important to understand this shift to better discuss rationality and disagreements.

GRANTED: Becoming a thinker and a lifelong reader

Granted • 19 implied HN points • 04 Oct 19
🚌 Education Reading Thinking Experience Family Values
  1. Encourage kids to love reading by making books a part of your life - read in front of them, discuss books, visit libraries, and give books as gifts.
  2. Humility is key - arrogance stems from ignorance and unwavering conviction, while humility turns evidence and experience into wisdom.
  3. Prior experience is not a reliable predictor of job success - focus on knowledge, skill, and motivation rather than requiring specific experience.

Thinking About Thinking 🧐

PeopleStorming • 0 implied HN points • 11 Aug 20
🚌 Education Metacognition Learning Facilitation Thinking Decision-making
  1. Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, is vital for the learning process. When learning something new, considering different strategies and decision-making is an example of metacognitive activity.
  2. As facilitators, understanding individuals' thought processes is crucial to guiding productive discussions. Facilitators delve deep into how participants think to facilitate positive outcomes.
  3. Good facilitation requires deliberate focus on thinking at various abstraction levels, similar to the focus needed for complex tasks like software development. Facilitators are seen as essential for guiding effective conversations.

Writing, Originality and AI

Age of AI • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Writing Thinking Online Communication Originality
  1. Converting bullet points into paragraphs involves crafting aesthetically pleasing sentences and fully refining ideas.
  2. Tools like ChatGPT can help with writing, but their usefulness depends on the originality of the idea being communicated.
  3. The future of online writing may prioritize truly original ideas over recycled content, potentially changing how content is valued.