Problem solving

Creative problem-solving From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Creative problem-solving (CPS)[1] is the mental process of searching for an original and previously unknown solution to a problem. To qualify, the solution must be novel and reached independently.[1][2] The creative problem-solving process was originally developed by Alex Osborn and Sid Parnes. Creative problem solving (CPS) is a way of using creativity to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. Creative solution types[edit] The process of creative problem-solving usually begins with defining the problem. A creative solution will often have distinct characteristics that include using only existing components, or the problematic factor, as the basis for the solution. If a creative solution has a broad application, such that the usage goes beyond the original intent, it may be referred to as an innovative solution, or an innovation (some innovations may also be considered an invention). Techniques and tools[edit] Idea generation techniques[edit]

How to Solve It How to Solve It (1945) is a small volume by mathematician George Pólya describing methods of problem solving.[1] Four principles[edit] How to Solve It suggests the following steps when solving a mathematical problem: First, you have to understand the problem.[2]After understanding, then make a plan.[3]Carry out the plan.[4]Look back on your work.[5] How could it be better? If this technique fails, Pólya advises:[6] "If you can't solve a problem, then there is an easier problem you can solve: find it. First principle: Understand the problem[edit] "Understand the problem" is often neglected as being obvious and is not even mentioned in many mathematics classes. What are you asked to find or show? The teacher is to select the question with the appropriate level of difficulty for each student to ascertain if each student understands at their own level, moving up or down the list to prompt each student, until each one can respond with something constructive. Second principle: Devise a plan[edit]

Claude Shannon: How a Real Genius Solves Problems It took Claude Shannon about a decade to fully formulate his seminal theory of information. He first flirted with the idea of establishing a common foundation for the many information technologies of his day (like the telephone, the radio, and the television) in graduate school. It wasn’t until 1948, however, that he published A Mathematical Theory of Communication. This wasn’t his only big contribution, though. To the average person, this may not mean much. The word genius is thrown around casually, but there are very few people who actually deserve the moniker like Claude Shannon. One of the subtle causes behind what manifested as such genius, however, was the way he attacked problems. His problems were different from many of the problems we are likely to deal with, but the template and its reasoning can be generalized to some degree, and when it is, it may just help us think sharper, too. All problems have a shape and a form. Build a Core Before Filling the Details All You Need to Know

Jewish Philosophy (W) Jewish philosophy (Hebrew: פילוסופיה יהודית‎; Arabic: الفلسفة اليهودية‎; Yiddish: ייִדיש פֿילאָסאָפֿיע) includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until modern Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and Jewish Emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism; thus organizing emergent ideas that are not necessarily Jewish into a uniquely Jewish scholastic framework and world-view. With their acceptance into modern society, Jews with secular educations embraced or developed entirely new philosophies to meet the demands of the world in which they now found themselves. Medieval re-discovery of Greek thought among Gaonim of 10th century Babylonian academies brought rationalist philosophy into Biblical-Talmudic Judaism. Philosophy was generally in competition with Kabbalah. Ancient Jewish philosophy[edit] Philosophy in the Bible[edit] Philo of Alexandria[edit] Dr.

Candle problem Problem[edit] The test presents the participant with the following task: how to fix and light a candle on a wall (a cork board) in a way so the candle wax won't drip onto the table below.[3] To do so, one may only use the following along with the candle: a box of matchesa box of thumbtacks Solution[edit] The solution is to empty the box of thumbtacks, put the candle into the box, use the thumbtacks to nail the box (with the candle in it) to the wall, and light the candle with the match.[3] The concept of functional fixedness predicts that the participant will only see the box as a device to hold the thumbtacks and not immediately perceive it as a separate and functional component available to be used in solving the task. Response[edit] Many of the people who attempted the test explored other creative, but less efficient, methods to achieve the goal. Glucksberg[edit] Linguistic implications[edit] E. In a written version of the task given to people at Stanford University, Michael C.

Indian Philosophy (W) India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to the composition of the Upanisads in the later Vedic period. According to Radhakrishnan, the oldest of these constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."[1] Since the late medieval age (ca.1000-1500) various schools (Skt: Darshanas) of Indian philosophy are identified as orthodox (Skt: astika) or non-orthodox (Skt: nastika) depending on whether they regard the Veda as an infallible source of knowledge.[3] There are six schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy and three heterodox schools. The orthodox are Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva mimamsa and Vedanta. The main schools of Indian philosophy were formalised chiefly between 1000 BC to the early centuries AD. Common themes[edit] The Indian thinkers of antiquity (very much like those of the Hellenistic schools) viewed philosophy as a practical necessity that needed to be cultivated in order to understand how life can best be led. Schools[edit]

Chinese Philosophy (W) Following the Qin Dynasty, Confucianism became the dominant philosophical school of China.[3] The largest philosophical rivals to Confucianism were Legalism and Mohism before the Han dynasty. Legalism as a coherent philosophy disappeared largely due to its relationship with the unpopular authoritarian rule of Qin Shi Huang, however, many of its ideas and institutions would continue to influence Chinese philosophy until the end of Imperial rule during the Xinhai Revolution. Mohism though popular at first due to its emphasis on brotherly love versus harsh Qin Legalism, fell out of favour during the Han Dynasty due to the efforts of Confucians in establishing their views as political orthodoxy. The Six Dynasties era saw the rise of the Xuanxue philosophical school and the maturation of Chinese Buddhism, which had entered China from India during the Late Han Dynasties. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Chinese philosophy integrated concepts from Western philosophy. History[edit]

Ancient philosophy This page lists some links to ancient philosophy. In Western philosophy, the spread of Christianity through the Roman Empire marked the ending of Hellenistic philosophy and ushered in the beginnings of Medieval philosophy, whereas in Eastern philosophy, the spread of Islam through the Arab Empire marked the end of Old Iranian philosophy and ushered in the beginnings of early Islamic philosophy. Introduction[edit] Genuinely philosophical thought, depending upon original individual insights, arose in many cultures roughly contemporaneously. Karl Jaspers termed the intense period of philosophical development beginning around the 7th century and concluding around the 3rd century BCE an Axial Age in human thought. Ancient Chinese philosophy[edit] Chinese philosophy is the dominant philosophical thought in China and other countries within the East Asian cultural sphere that share a common language, including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Schools of thought[edit] Hundred Schools of Thought[edit]

Philosophy of psychology Philosophy of psychology refers to issues at the theoretical foundations of modern psychology . Some of these issues are epistemological concerns about the methodology of psychological investigation. For example: What is the most appropriate methodology for psychology: mentalism , behaviorism , or a compromise? Are self-reports a reliable data-gathering method? Other issues in philosophy of psychology are philosophical questions about the nature of mind, brain , and cognition , and are perhaps more commonly thought of as part of cognitive science , or philosophy of mind , such as: Philosophy of psychology also closely monitors contemporary work conducted in cognitive neuroscience , evolutionary psychology , and artificial intelligence , for example questioning whether psychological phenomena can be explained using the methods of neuroscience , evolutionary theory , and computational modeling, respectively. Topics that fall within philosophy of mind , of course, go back much farther.