ABSTRACT
Some programs to teach thinking have taken the approach of focusing on thinking as subject matter. The assumption is that a better understanding of the nature of thought will improve one's own thinking ability. In some cases the material is structured so as to help the student discover principles; in other cases the principles are presented directly. What is taught about thinking draws from many areas-philosophy, logic, rhetoric, cognitive psychology, linguistics, decision theory-and addresses a variety of topics-human cognitive capabilities and limitations, common reasoning problems, effects of culture on thinking, and so on. Programs that fall in this category often also teach heuristics, but tend to emphasize the importance of not only knowing how to apply particular heuristics but understanding why they work.
