Intro. Thinking Actuality

Intro

The distinction of the matrix method in problem solving

The problem: Two people are walking down the street: one is fit, the other is overweight.

Question: Which of them is going to see a nutritionist?

Solutions:

Logic: The person going to see a nutritionist is the overweight one, in order to have a consultation. The one who is fit does not need to see a nutritionist, so why would he be going there?

+ (the merit of logic) Serves as proof of correctness and truth.

- (the weakness of logic) People’s desires are often illogical.

Dialectics: The person going to see a nutritionist is the fit one. He is fit, because he consults his nutritionist regularly.

+ ( the benefits of dialectics) Resolves contradictions where the logic fails.

- (the limitations of dialectics) Does not serve as proof.

Philosophy: Does it really matter, which one of them is going to see a nutritionist?

+ (the merits of philosophy) Raises questions, but does not answer them.

- (the flaws of philosophy) Departs from life in a self-serving manner.

The matrix mind: The third guy is going to see a nutritionist. The fourth is waiting at the nutritionist’s reception to be seen, while the fifth is already having a consultation with the nutritionist. Shouldn’t we see a nutritionist as well?

+ (the merit of the matrix method) Goes beyond the framework of the problem posed. Is geared towards possibilities. Leads to action.

- (flaws) A new method that neither is widely known nor adopted.

Thinking Actuality

or Why a Modern Human Needs Matrix Method Mind

If you want to use your intellect (which is actually the engine for progress and civilization), you will find a few score of books and techniques helping us to teach ourselves to think, develop our intellectual capabilities, use the 100% of our brain; you will also find a few dozens of millionaires’ thinking secrets.

But! Firstly, being a paradox, already after the development of computer technologies, nobody cares about the computational power; everybody cares about network access rate. And here the most interesting thing can be observed: access to information generates a need for efficient working with this information, analyzing, assessing and synthesizing it, as well as integrating it in our solutions. Flow of information, especially that of advertizing nature, starts creating overload, and the brain blocks its receipt and perception automatically.

Secondly, more and more information becomes entertaining, light, “spoon-fed”, not demanding analysis and brain efforts, which makes atrophied many functions of the brain being valuable and useful for independent thinking. Entertaining, light and recreational nature of information is the manifestation of the consumption epoch, when thinking has become the product of consumption; when we, consuming “spoon-fed” products which do not demand “digestion” stop thinking independently. Imagine what would happen to our muscles if we stopped walking! The same happens to the brain; we stopped “walking” a long time ago, we react or observe where we are being carried to. And it should be said that the scene from the window is quite interesting.

Thirdly, the new tasks, new pace of living demand more mental and intellectual resources and capacities; perhaps the old methods have ceased to be efficient in the new conditions, or the new conditions demand and offer opportunities for new techniques and methods of thinking. For example, arithmetical skills became a thing of the past a long time ago; logarithmic computation has fallen into oblivion. Differential equations – when did you last solve them? But the world is surely becoming more complicated, so complicated that neither politicians nor economists understand the way it works, and the system is operating regardless of their decisions and statements.

Fourthly, the topic of imagination and creativity is acquiring popularity. How can one be creative? How can one create an idea? Creativity is looking at us from bills and posters, advertising clips, and… Creativity is one of the five basic competences in the modern office world. In the world and economy where more people are engaged in creative work, there is little creativity already, Funky & Crazy ideas are needed, which can drive people crazy, astound them, “burst” their brain, be communicated to them…

Fifthly, today thinking is studied by psychology; thinking and the conscious are considered as a secondary function of the organism activity. Physiologists have proved already that we see not what is happening but the projection, 0. 3 seconds of what has happened, and we do not take decisions but realize the fact that we know which decision we will take, and how we will act. Philosophers have made a greater progress, noting that thinking as such does not exist, and neither does the world; all that is an imaginary world made-up and constructed by our conscious.

Sixthly, the presence of virus clips, virus ideasand galloping processes is evidence that our brain is not so perfect, that it yields to hidden and even open influence, that psychologists and physiologists are constantly investigating the depths of our brain to “open” it and make us controllable or dependent, to find a “button”, things to which we are vulnerable and those which attract our attention. Virus ideas and virus clips are evidence of continuing attacks of our thinking and our brain. Of course the brain physiology is common for everyone, but people have different intellectual capacities.

Seventhly, we often say not what we think, and we often cannot understand each other, and when we do, something turns out to be wrong. But if you have managed to understand the thought of another person, after all, it will surely be different from yours, and you will certainly start arguing and figuring out the truth. In this respect a few books and guides have been written, from the “immortal” advice of Carnegie “not to argue” to the common but very subtle and efficient one – to make a break for “tea/coffee”. Understanding of another person is often connected with disagreement and leads to arguments and figuring out who is right. And even having figured out who is right you don’t get the answer and understanding due to non-admission of your thinking errors and incapacity to work with them.

Eighthly, the modern world, where the rights of animals have been equaled to those of people, but a few dozens of groups are still fighting for the rights of robots, one needn’t worry about production and productive forces; everything has been available for a long time already or will be available as soon as you wish it or communicate it to a Mercedes dealer or type it in a search engine. Perhaps Google will offer it to you two seconds before you understand that this is exactly what you want. That is not the question; the question is that only 10% of the human activity is connected with making and generating (including creation)of something new. The rest 80% accounts for distribution, division and figuring out who has deserved more benefits in the society. Distribution of the public benefits is effected with getting into an argument, on different levels. Lawyers are playing their own game, financiers are playing theirs, programmers – theirs, and medical specialists are the most important if… The thing is that in the modern intellectual world, where open domination (and thus access to resources) is on the intellectual level, it is necessary to have a developed intellect and dominate, win, outgame and surpass exactly with the help of intellect. Which means that giving attention to your intellect and mastering the new method will help you to become stronger and faster.

And lastly, ninthly, to finalize the listand answer the vital question which is often put to an intellectual starting to teach others in a tram: “If you are so smart, why are you so poor? ” The answer to this question, you know, demands other circumstances. We have often met smart people who are not practicable, or whose intellect is separated from their actions. As if there is a black box between thinking and acting, in which, as we suspect, there is a random number generator. As there is no connection between what we say and what we do. And the power of thinking demonstrates itself exactly in nonseparability of thinking and acting, so that the actions could give a task of thinking, and the result of thinking could be a call for action.

Thus one can form a matrix of thinking problems tospecify the main problems of modern thinking and the spheres to which attention should be given. The matrix approach can help to solve these problems and develop thinking.

Matrix1. Modern Challenges to Thinking

# MODERN PROBLEMS OF THINKING (Question: Why do we need the Matrix Method Mind? )

Overload with information	Readyeasysolutions	Complication of the world
Creativity is sufficient	Psychologistsknoweverything	Attacks of thinking
Understanding another person	Benefits redistribution	Thoughts≠ Actions

Matrix Response to the Modern Problems:

Overload with information – the matrix method allows to gather, structure information and select the most valuable information. The matrix method has also selected information according to the methods of thinking and offers most methods of thinking. Typical techniques of thinking which can be found in the matrix thinking.

Ready easy solutions – the matrix method allows you to elaborate the depth of the solutions you are offered, to see what is behind them, what the mechanism is, how they work. To learn what preceded, and how this solution could have been improved, and even to look into the future, to see which consequences one will have to face afterwards.

Complication of the world. To respond to this challenge of the modern age you can engage analytic mechanisms, dismantle to pieces and reveal interrelations, and simplify the reality; you can also add on your solutions to the required level of complexity. To see complex things in a simple way and offer complicated solutions which are easy to implement.

Creativity is sufficient. The matrix method can also suggest involving creative methods only where they provide a considerable return, or combine the methods enforcing each other. Thus, the matrix method can generate new levels of creativity, which creative and enthusiastic people are not even aware of, remaining within the framework of their creations.

Psychologists know everything. In the matrix thinking there is also a place for psychologists, their views, experiments and recommendations. At the same time, the matrix thinking is a method beyond the reach of psychologists, and as psychologists themselves are part of the matrix already, it would be interesting to learn not only the opinion, but the results of the experiments, as well.

Attacks of thinking. The matrix allows to preserve the structure, and then the matrix itself facilitates replication and exchange of ideas, thoughts and solutions, as well as whole concepts, but at the same time it allows you to decide yourselves what to include in your own matrix, and what not to include there. At least, on the pages of the book you will find the matrix devoted to virus ideas.

The matrix facilitates understanding of other people’s thoughts, interaction, not only on the level of words, but concepts and pictures. In this way you can distinguish what you understand and what you don’t understand, and what you agree or don’t agree with. The matrix also allows you to avoid conflicts at revealing controversies, and create new spaces of solutions to find a common solution.

Domination and participation in the benefits redistribution. You will be able to look at the world from a different perspective, penetrate into the essence of things, see resonating moments. Separate your emotional level from that of instincts, thus preserving the capability for independent thinking. And possibly surpass and outrun your competitors, having intellectual superiority.

Thoughts ≠ Actions. This is really a threat to most methods of thinking, which generate and improve only intellectual capabilities. Many people also understand not quite correctly the intellect and the fact that its strength is manifested in actions. And you can also spread thinking to the areas where you want to improve your actions and results.

Matrix2. Response to the Challenges and Opportunities of the Matrix Thinking

# OPPORTUNITIES OF THE MATRIX THINKING
(Answer to the question: Why do we needLimitless Mind? )

Structuring of information	Training of thinking	Paying attention to details, but seeing the whole
Combining of the thinking methods	Criterion of the truth is the obtained result.	Separation of influence and own position
Better understanding of other people	Thinking “faster, higher, stronger”	Transition from thinking to acting

AUTHOR

Igor PanteleevichPonomarev, a Candidate of Economic Sciences, a Senior Professor of the Organization Administration Chair of the MSU Faculty of Economics.

The author of the financial strategic game “MarginGame”^(TM) (2010).

Delivers the courses “Making of Management Decisions”, “Transactions Management” and “Organizational Behavior. ”

The author of the books:
“Motivation by Working in an Organization” (2004),
“Margin – a New Market Strategy” (2008),
“Limitless Mind” (2016)in publish