The Thinking Toolbox by Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn

I wasn’t sure what to expect when opted to read and review, “The Thinking Toolbox: 35 lessons that will build your Reasoning Skills,” by Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn. I had taken and enjoyed Logic 101 when I was in college so I thought reading a book that was designed to improve my “reasoning skills,” would be an interesting venture. Even though the book is really intended for children ages 13 and over, I still found it entertaining, even if a bit rudimentary.

The book is broken up into 35 lessons that feature and introduction, some examples and then some activities relative to the preceding lesson. There is also an entire section dedicated to further puzzles and games dedicated to improving ones reasoning skills. Appropriate pictures that further illustrate the main point of each lesson pleasantly accompany each lesson. Ostensibly this is a fun and interesting children’s textbook dedicated to the art of clear and thoughtful analysis.

Some of the lessons include but are on limited to (1) When it is dumb to argue, (2) Using the scientific method, (3) Five rules of brainstorming, (4) Who has a reason to lie? (5) How to analyze opposing viewpoints, (6) How to analyze evidence and sources, (7) How to list reasons why you believe something, and many other as well.

One of the features of the guide is that it presents a “Christian view of logic.” I was somewhat skeptical of this at first because I wasn’t sure what the authors definition of a “Christian view of logic,” exactly was and how that would affect the narrative of book. As it turns out, if the back cover didn’t explicitly alert the reader to this idea, it wouldn’t occur to you at all that you were being exposed to said, “Christian view of logic.” The authors make it patently clear how one should conduct themselves within the confines of civil discourse and debate. The themes of the lessons are patience, an emphasis on good communication and tolerance of ulterior points of view. These are consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ and just make good common sense.

I do not have children at this time but I do work with disadvantaged and abused children on a daily basis as a family therapist. I believed strongly enough in the books overall message that I decided to bring to a session with a family that has found strength and solidarity in the Christian church. The family, who tend to be open to new ideas and willing to put forth the effort to make positive changes in their family dynamic, were very interested in the book and accepted it as a gift from me. It ended up being the impetus to a wonderful session that centered on how the husband and wife could better improve their communication and find a better sense of understanding of each other. In this sense, it served a very practical purpose. I would submit that, “The Thinking Toolbox,” could be used in a classroom or among family members as a way of exercising better communication skills and also generating positive discussion, as had happened during my session.

The children of the home found it especially appealing as well. While I as an educated adult found many of the lessons to be common sense, the children who took a gander at the book while in session began to acquire and framework for the art of discourse and communication that had previously escaped them. On of the children were simply mesmerized by the lessons and excitedly quoted from the book as he found new words to label thoughts that often went garbled in previous family or school discussions.

Though this guide came from a Christian publishing house, there’s nothing particularly or overtly religious about it. It is as I explained above, simply a guide to building better reasoning skills based on the premise of tolerance and clarity. I believe those themes are universal enough to warrant readership by the religious and secular alike.

If you have children or work with them and they are savvy and patient enough for you to do interesting activities with, I would highly recommend, “The Thinking Toolbox: Thirty-Five Lessons That Will Build Your Reasoning Skills,” by Nathaniel and Hans Bluedorn.

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