ABSTRACT
Thinking essentially consists in asking questions and attempting to answer them. Purposive thinking is thinking directed to answering a question held steadily in view. The distinction between what is often called practical thinking and theoretical thinking lies wholly in the purpose for which the thinking is pursued. In the case of the man on the burning ship, it is clear that his thinking would be effective only in so far as what came into his mind–or, at least, was taken note of–was relevant to the conditions constituting his problem. The distinction between practical and theoretical problems does not relate to the kind of thinking involved, but to the set of purposes within which the problem originates, and hence to the kind of changes its solution is designed to bring about. In effective thinking consciousness of the conditions set by the problem-situation directs the cognitive activity of the thinker, determining what shall come, to mind.
