The Thinking Methods Encyclopedia describes techniques for idea generation, structuring information, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Each entry asks what the method is for, what information it needs, what it can produce, and what it cannot establish. Popularity is not evidence of effectiveness.
Exploring possibilities
Brainstorming, SCAMPER, analogy, TRIZ and Rhetorical Thinking can bring fresh perspectives to a question. Assessing practical feasibility is a separate task from generating possibilities.
Structuring and reasoning
The KJ method, mind maps, and concept maps organize material in different ways. Five Whys, abduction, and critical thinking can help challenge explanations and the grounds on which they rest.
Systems and decisions
Systems thinking, causal loop diagrams, AHP, and Scenario Analysis address interdependence, criteria, and uncertainty. A sophisticated diagram or calculation cannot rescue a poorly specified assumption.
Related pages
- Brainstorming | Opening Up Possibilities
- SCAMPER | Transforming Existing Ideas
- Analogy | Transferring Relationships Across Domains
- TRIZ | Exploring Inventive Contradictions
- Synectics | Discovering Solutions Across Domains Through Analogy
- Rhetorical Thinking | Change the Words, Change the Perspective
- The KJ Method | Grouping Fragmented Observations
- Mind Maps | Expanding Associations Around a Theme
- Concept Maps | Expressing Relations Between Concepts
- Five Whys | Questioning Causes Without Oversimplifying
- Abduction | Reasoning Toward Explanations
- Critical Thinking | Examining Claims and Evidence
- Systems Thinking | Interdependence and Change Over Time
- Causal Loop Diagrams | Understanding Feedback
- AHP | Structuring Decisions with Pairwise Comparisons
- Scenario Analysis | Exploring Multiple Futures and Developing Strategies Under Uncertainty
- Design Thinking | Exploring Problems Around People
- Negation and Non-Duality — Why Indian and Buddhist Philosophy Says “A Is Not A”
- Lateral Thinking | Breaking Conventional Thinking Patterns and Exploring New Possibilities