Logical Thinking and Logical Thinking Explained for 14-Year-Olds

Have you ever heard the terms "logical thinking" or "logical thinking"?

"Sounds kind of difficult..."

"That's something smart people use, right?"

To those of you who thought that! You're absolutely right!!...
is what I'd like to say, but actually, it's completely different.
Because this way of thinking isn't just for future CEOs or scientists; you might even be using it every day without realizing it.

The Mysterious Relationship Between "Logical Thinking" and "Logical Thinking"

"Logical thinking" and "logical thinking." These two terms sound similar, don't they? Yes, just like identical twins.
But their personalities are a bit different.
To use an analogy, if "logical thinking" is the "mental agility used when cooking," then "logical thinking" is like a "cookbook."

I can almost hear you saying, "Huh? I don't know what you're talking about!"
Let me explain in a bit more detail.

"Logical thinking" is, for example, the state of mind a detective is in when they are uncovering the truth of a case.
"There is evidence A. There is also testimony B. If you combine these, the culprit is C!" It is that very "power of thought" that allows you to think in a structured way.
It refers to the entire process of thinking where you take scattered information in front of you, connect the dots to form a line, and finally arrive at a conclusion that makes you say, "I see!"

On the other hand, "logical thinking" is like a "collection of techniques" to use that "power of thought" more "skillfully and efficiently."
It refers to the "patterns" or "methodologies" for how to proceed with your thinking to solve a problem, such as "To find the culprit of this case, first let's list the suspects, check their alibis, and look for physical evidence," and what tools are efficient to use.

To put it more simply, "logical thinking" is the strong will to "Alright, I'm going to catch the culprit!" and the brain to execute it. "Logical thinking" is the "investigation manual for catching the culprit" that uses that brain.
Therefore, if you can't do "logical thinking," no matter how good your "logical thinking" tools are, they will just be pieces of paper, and if you don't know "logical thinking," your "logical thinking" might end up taking a lot of detours.

When and Where Do You Use It? Surprisingly Familiar Practical Applications

So, when do we use these two in our daily lives?

For example, suppose your mom gets angry at you, saying, "Hey, why haven't you cleaned your room!?"
In such a case, just answering, "Because I was reading manga," will only make her angrier.

That's where "logical thinking" and "logical thinking" come into play!

You think like this:
"Mom is angry because the room is messy. If I clean the room, she shouldn't be angry. But I can't do it all right now. So, what should I clean first?"

This is where "logical thinking" comes in handy.
"Alright! First, I'll fold the clothes scattered on the floor, then I'll organize the papers on the desk, and finally, I'll tidy up the bookshelf! And then, I'll tell her the reason for cleaning: 'A friend contacted me suddenly and I had to play a game, so I was planning to do it all later!'"

How about that? The final excuse is a bit suspicious, but that is also a perfectly valid thinking process.

What kind of tools are there? Special moves and secret gadgets

Logical thinking has various "special moves" and "secret gadgets."
Let me introduce a few.

(1) MECE: Without omissions, without overlaps!

It sounds like a superhero's transformation pose, but it is read as "MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)."
This is a way of thinking that involves "classifying the subject of your thoughts so that there are no omissions and no overlaps."

For example, let's think about the problem of "How to become popular in class?" using MECE.
・Personality: Always smiling, helping people in trouble, able to tell interesting stories
・Appearance: Clean, stylish, good posture
・Behavior: Treating everyone fairly, actively participating in events, teaching others how to study

How is that? With this, you can think about the elements of being "popular" without any omissions or overlaps.
It's just like making an accurate treasure map.

(2) Logic Tree: Growing a tree of causes and results!

This is a tool that breaks down the causes or solutions to a problem, just like the branches of a tree.

Example: Let's think about a logic tree for the problem, "I failed today's test!"

・Failed the test
・Lack of study
　・Didn't listen carefully in class
　・Didn't do homework
　・Didn't study for the test
　　・Played games too much
　　・Read manga too much
・The questions were difficult
　・The teacher's explanation was insufficient
　・Couldn't understand the textbook content

When you dig down into the causes like this, you can see the real problem, such as "Oh, the cause was playing too many games!" or "I should have asked the teacher."
It's like finding the walkthrough route for a puzzle game.

(3) Framework: A template for thinking!

"Frameworks" are pre-prepared structures for thinking.
In terms of puzzles, it's like a board where the shape of the pieces is already decided. It's a convenient thing where if you fill in the information along these lines, your logical thoughts will naturally come together.

For example, there is something called "SWOT analysis."
This is a tool for organizing your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

　　Example: Let's think about "How to become a regular on the sports team?"
　　・Strengths (S): Fast runner, good concentration
　　・Weaknesses (W): Bad at shooting, low stamina
　　・Opportunities (O): A new coach arrived, a rival got injured
　　・Threats (T): New members are good, practice time is short

When you write these out, it becomes easier to make specific plans like, "I'll focus on shooting practice and run every day to improve my stamina!"
It's like analyzing your character's stats in a game and making a level-up plan.

Finally, one more thing I want to convey

Well then, I have talked about "logical thinking" and "logical thinking" in various ways up to this point, but there is just one more thing I want to convey at the end.

These two ways of thinking are certainly convenient. They might seem like magic wands that can solve any problem... or so it may appear.
But you know, you must not forget that both "logical thinking" and "logical thinking" are merely "tools."

No matter how wonderful a kitchen knife you have, if the cook's skills are poor, you cannot make delicious food. No matter how high-performance a calculator you have, if you input the wrong numbers, you will only get strange answers.

What is truly important is the sense of purpose behind "what you are using the tool for?" and "your own heart" that uses it.
If the result of thinking logically is a conclusion that hurts someone, can it really be called "correct"?
There are many things in this world, such as people's feelings and emotions, that cannot be explained by logic alone.

Therefore, thinking logically is important. But please do not forget to polish your "human heart" just as much, or perhaps even more.

Please continue to try using "logical thinking" and "logical thinking" in your daily life with a little bit of awareness.

Your future might become even richer.