Analytical Thought

Here I'll outline and describe some of the basics of analytical thought.

Analytical thought is about paying attention to parts of something (such as an idea) and the relationship between the parts, in order to help figure out what the whole thing is, must be, could or should be like. This is very useful for figuring out Reason Chains. Understanding something better, figuring stuff out. One advantage is that it can break a large issue into smaller, easier ones. For more pros and cons of using analytical thought for a certain situation, see System 1 VS System 2.

Commonly, the "parts" are facts and conclusions, and the relation between them is logic.

Variables
Variables are any aspect of something that can be varied (changed). A car can come in various colors, for example.

A lot of variables are "continuous", they can be varied along a spectrum. For example, size, or color. In music, the variables are the type of sound, and when they occur.

Communication is about specifying variables. We can say what time it is, or what we'd like to do.

Relations
Parts or variables can be related to each other. They can interact with each other, change each other, or be separate. Larger ideas can be built out of the combination of smaller ones. This could be called "construction".

Mathematical equations (and thus equations in physics, accounting, or anything else) are statements of the relation between parts/variables.

Or a relation could be as simple as a spatial relation: what shape or pattern some things are arranged into. Similarly for chronological order.

See also:
 * Reason Chains
 * Correlation and coincidence VS causation.

Dividing things up, looking at them, and piecing things together
Analytical thought allows you to break a complex idea into smaller pieces, or combine small simple ideas into larger more complex ones.

All statements, and most words, are made out of many variables specified and put together in a certain way. See the page What are things? to get an idea of many of the things that can be put together into a single word, and see the Name Calling page for perhaps a more practical take.

Models, Hypotheses, Theories
Models, hypotheses, and theories are all proposed constructions of variables and relations. A model may be simplified, a hypothesis may be about matters of fact (whether past, present, or future) and a "theory" is technically about providing an explanation of facts.

A good route is to ask what is important for an idea to (at least seem to) work? This can help draw attention to the important aspects. Then, it can be investigated by asking "what if?", what if this one thing was different? What happens to the larger idea when this part is changed this way or that? This is how to conduct different "thought experiments".

Analysis VS Empiricism
Ultimately analysis is limited by the data available. Hence the need for empiricism, the gathering of data.

Analytical thought as the pursuit of goals
Why use analytical thought? Well, it can be useful in a wide range of topics. It's a tool.

It's also related to our limitations, our weaknesses. Seeing and understanding the complexity of the universe is difficult for us, the most intelligent species. Trying to break down that complexity into simpler variables and relations, and then step-by-step building complex arrangements of them, is about the best we can do (and we can basically only analyze one or two pieces at once).

See also: why perfect our internal information processing