Review - How to Think: A survival guide for a world at odds

Alan Jacobs is a distinguished professor of humanities at Baylor University, having taught for over 30 years and written a multitude of books. In his work, How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds, Jacobs does not claim to offer a prescriptive set of instructions for better thinking. Instead, he hopes this work can act as a diagnostics tool that helps its reader reflect on the forces that may be preventing genuine reflection and responsible thinking in their lives and conversations.

Jacob’s draws on psychologist Daniel Kahneman's research, that many people rely on System 1 reflection, a fast and intuition-based kind of thinking sourced in our experiences, instinct, and even biases. Meanwhile, System 2 reflection is triggered once our minds perceive a problem or an inconsistency, prompting us for a deeper, more skilled critical thinking. Jacobs’ task in this work is then to help us recognize unhealthy aspects in our thinking, like utilizing straw man arguments or lumping opposing viewpoints, and transitioning our thinking to a more responsible and careful approach that realizes we are doing so in a community filled with real people.

How to Think is an exceptional work that is applicable on a variety of levels, whether that is for engaging in an in-person or online conversation or writing an academic paper. It mirrors that of They Say/ I Say, but Jacobs provides greater detail and analysis for why we tend to have unhealthy thinking and communication in our lives. Jacob’s work is as excellent as it is, in my opinion, because of his opening and closing acknowledgment that there isn’t a simple checklist for better, more reasonable thinking. However, good thinking starts by recognizing that it is closely associated with the kind of person you are or want to become.

In other words, good thinking is a mark of the kind of person you are. While leaving it until the Afterword, one of the best pieces of this work is the insightful checklist for how one can help best posture themselves in thinking and discussion. By offering such a list, Jacobs explicitly connects being an intentional, careful, and truthful thinker with being the kind of person who is patient (waiting to speak), humble (I don’t have the answer and I have something to learn from them), and honest (don’t debate for mere victory), among many others.

Overall, Alan Jacob’s How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds is a work that will continued to be recommended for years. It is a work that every person can pick up and will find a reason to complete it. If you have utilized any sort of social media or blog, then you know of the unhealthy experiences that Jacob’s speaks of. If you have ever interacted with a person who only wanted to validate their position, not actually hold a conversation, then you will relate to Jacobs. And this is precisely why How to Think is such a crucial work. It reminds us that our thinking (and our communication of our thoughts) must be done with the acknowledgment that people are at the other end. And that simple fact matters. We do not need to abandon conversations that may be filled with ideological tension. Instead, we proceed forward with discernment and wisdom, treating people with dignity and respect.