Thinking as a Skill

You have two choices; as De Bono Says:

Thinking is a matter of intelligence. Intelligence is determined by the genes with which you were born. You can no more change your thinking than you can truly change the color of your eyes.

2. Thinking is a skill that can be improved by training, by practice and through learning how to do it better. Thinking is no different from any other skill and we can get better at the skill of thinking if we have the will to do so.

These two opposing views can be combined rather simply.

Intelligence is like the horsepower of a car. It is possible that the “intelligence” potential of the mind is determined, at least in part, by our genes. Even so there is evidence that the use of the mind can change the enzyme characteristics just as the use of muscles can change their characteristics.

The performance of a car does not depend on the horsepower of the car but upon the skill with which the car is driven by the driver. So if intelligence is the horsepower of the car, then “thinking” is the skill with which that horsepower is used.

Intelligence is a potential gift. Thinking is an operating skill. Thinking is the operating skill through which intelligence acts upon experience.

If we pursue the car analogy a little further then we come to two important conclusions:

1. If you have a powerful car then you need to improve your driving skills. If you do not improve your driving skills then you will not be able to make full use of the available power. You may also be a danger to others.

2. If you have a less powerful car then you need to develop a high degree of driving skill in order to make up for the lack of power.

So those who do not consider themselves to be highly intelligent can improve their performance by improving their thinking skill.