Introduction to Problem Solving

Knowledge is power, but only if you learn how to apply it through problem solving and decision making. The decision making process is essentially a problem solving procedure, so the basic stages and ingredients are the same.

Presented here are good basic principles that will help you the rest of your life. I personally spent more than 17 years to intensively summarize the knowledge on problem solving that others have spent years, even lifetimes, accumulating. This knowledge is yours for free. So read on for the best knowledge on problem solving!

The scientific method is the master method of knowledge and problem solving. Thus it is suitable for all domains. The SM-14 formula of 11 stages and 3 ingredients provides an easy-to-follow guide to this complete method of creative problem solving and decision making for all fields, including our personal lives. This formula will be described here. Because the scientific method has been used for centuries, there is a well-developed body of knowledge about the stages, problem-solving techniques, procedural principles and theories, attributes and thinking skills available to help you solve problems.

It is often stated that the objective of the scientific method is to determine the truth. It should be understood that the “truth” is extremely hard to determine; some say it is impossible. Therefore, the objective is to determine the truth as closely as it can be determined. As V. Gordon Child stated in 1936, “On the evidence available today the balance of probability favors the view that . . .”

Critical Thinking

This term unfortunately has been widely used in recent years and recommended as an educational objective. It has many definitions. One is “assessing the accuracy of statements.” Our educational objective should be teaching problem-solving thinking following the scientific method.

Professor J.A. Easley, Jr. wrote his Harvard University doctoral thesis on “Is the Teaching of Scientific Method a Significant Education Objective?” It was published in Modern Readings (I. Scheffler, ed., 1958). Unfortunately, our top educational leaders paid no attention to Easley’s recommendations. What a better world we would have today if the greatest idea of all time had only been adequately taught. So don’t fail to use the scientific method of problem solving for your personal welfare and the benefit of society.