Historical Thinking

As children we are often amazed by the world around us. This is partly due to a lack of knowledge of the world. Every hill, every meadow and every street can hold a secret just out of sight and it becomes an adventure to find out whether or not this is true.

However, as we grow up we have acquired enough knowledge to know that this is not the case. We now know that at the end of that mysterious street there is just another street and behind the hill a shopping centre with a car park. And even if we didn't know, our brain has learned how the world works and fills in the void with what it already knows.

Instead of wondering about what is possible further on, our brain fills in the void with the same monotonous information that it experiences every day. The chance for wonder has been taken away from us, which is why we feel nostalgic when we think back to our childhood, with our child brains.

Mature thinking I call historical thinking. The reason for this is that our brain answers unanswered questions with information that it has received before. Making the world bland in some way. Any possible mystery is dulled.

Mythical Thinking

Childlike thinking — which was the norm for our child brains, but which is de facto made almost impossible by our adult brains — I call mythical thinking. This is because reading myths has the same effect. It evokes wonder and makes you guess at answers. Which, I think, is a big reason why adults can be so interested in stories about ghosts, ancient religions and even lore from various modern media.

These myths take away the ability of our brain to think methodically, because it cannot fill the void with something it already knows. This is something it has not experienced before. Reading about an ancient creation myth, tales of mass destruction in the ancient world and accounts of magic fills us with childlike wonder.

That's why people read stories, or even watch videos, about ghosts. It makes us wonder: «Is it perhaps possible after all?»

While we can gain knowledge and understanding, we also risk losing the ability to wonder at the mysteries of the world. By recognizing this shift, we can seek ways to reclaim that sense of curiosity and wonder, by engaging with myths and stories that challenge our understanding of reality.