Associative Thinking

Xuefeng

Associative thinking refers to the mental process of grasping a natural phenomenon and then using it as a springboard to make further connections, drawing parallels, and linking together other related factors.

A classic example of associative thinking is "Newton - apple - universal gravitation." Newton observed the common natural phenomenon of an apple falling to the ground, which led him to the concept of gravity. He then extended this concept to include mass, speed, space, and other factors, ultimately deriving the three laws of motion. This is associative thinking.

For example, the whirlpool phenomenon that often occurs when draining water from a bathtub can lead one to think of the movement direction of Earth’s magnetic field lines. The spiral ascent of a bean vine can remind one of the movement of celestial bodies. The natural observation of wood floating and iron sinking on water can be connected to the concept of buoyancy, which then leads to the shipbuilding industry. Observing the discontinuity of an object’s motion might lead to associations with quantum mechanics. The relationship between motion, mass, and gravity can be linked to space-time curvature. The role of consciousness can lead one to think of the holographic nature of the universe, and so on. All of these examples are manifestations of associative thinking.

A skilled detective can infer a suspect’s character traits, motivations, and whereabouts from a few clues. A qualified forensic expert can deduce a criminal’s physical features, appearance, and even their clothing style from the victim’s wounds and facial expressions. A seasoned traditional Chinese medicine doctor can link a patient's complexion to internal organ health. A master of face reading (Mian Xiang) can infer a person’s past actions and future fortunes from their facial features. A feng shui master can assess a person's living environment based on their handwriting and habitual movements. A skilled politician can sense the rise and fall of dynasties or the coming of a new era based on public psychological behavior. An economist might predict fluctuations in the stock market or the economic trajectory of a country based on a single event. A sociologist could infer the loss of a nation's values and morals from the prevalence of issues like prostitution, drug use, and organized crime. Even a fashion designer can predict future trends in clothing based on street fashion and the pace of people's movements.

Associative thinking is primary, inventive, pioneering, and unique. It is a form of divergent thinking. Many people may appear to engage in associative thinking, but in reality, they are merely applying knowledge or accumulated experience from others. For example, many farmers can predict the cycle of farming based on the changing seasons (spring sowing, summer growing, autumn harvesting, winter storing), but this is not the result of their associative thinking. Instead, it is a reflection of accumulated experience in their awareness. Many people can connect the pain of arthritis to changes in the weather, but this, too, is the result of knowledge and experience, not associative thinking. Similarly, many businesspeople can predict which goods to buy and sell based on regional, temporal, and seasonal differences, but this is again the result of experience (except in rare cases). In professions like engineering, technical work, and scholarly research, it might seem like associative thinking is at play, but in reality, they are simply applying the knowledge learned in school or accumulated through experience. For example, Newton's association of a falling apple with the law of universal gravitation is the result of associative thinking. However, if a college student claims that he can associate a falling apple with the law of universal gravitation, he is merely recounting the knowledge he has learned rather than demonstrating his own associative thinking—unless he had never heard of Newton or the concept of gravity before.

Strictly speaking, only thought processes that lead to new discoveries, inventions, creations, or theories qualify as associative thinking. From this perspective, those who truly possess associative thinking abilities include scientists, inventors, forensic experts, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, face readers, feng shui masters, outstanding politicians, and military strategists. Engineers and technicians who develop new products can also be loosely included in this category.

The slow but steady progress of human civilization is primarily driven by individuals with associative thinking abilities. Without them, modern civilization as we know it would not exist.

Material thinking is a form of fixed thinking, whereas associative thinking is divergent thinking. It breaks through the limitations of material thinking, surpasses the imitation and replication of image thinking, and directly extends its reach into the unknown. This leads to new discoveries, inventions, and paths forward. However, associative thinking is still far from unlocking the ultimate mysteries of the universe. I have realized this from studying the thinking of great scientists such as Newton, Einstein, Planck, and Hawking, as well as from observing their attempts to establish a unified field theory of the universe.

For humanity as a whole, I hope that more people will develop associative thinking abilities. To illustrate the difference: to transport six tons of cargo from point A to point B, which is 800 kilometers away, a person with associative thinking will simply use a heavy-duty truck and complete the task alone in one day. In contrast, someone relying solely on material thinking, even if they can carry 50 kilograms and walk 100 kilometers per day, would require 120 people and eight days to accomplish the same task—a waste of effort with inferior results. Meanwhile, someone limited to image thinking would not even be able to conceive of a solution. From an artistic perspective, image thinkers are more remarkable than material thinkers, but from a practical perspective, when hungry, a real bun will satisfy hunger, while a picture of a bun, no matter how lifelike, cannot solve the problem.

For Lifechanyuan members, I hope that your thinking will not be confined to associative thinking alone, as it is still a lower-level form of thinking. It is like the challenge of transmitting information across the Atlantic. A material thinker would build a ship to transport messages. An image thinker would lay underwater cables. An associative thinker would use radio waves. And we would...