The Cognitive Skill Stack

A Framework for Better Thinking in 2025

In 2024, I worked on several research projects exploring critical thinking, logical reasoning, intellectual virtue, and the aims of liberal arts education. I learned a great deal over the past year. Most importantly, I strengthened my conviction that the ability to think deeply and meaningfully is an art. It requires consistent effort, but like any craft, it holds immense value. If thinking deeply is an art, then it involves certain skills that can be developed and refined over time. Just as a painter improves their brushstroke or a carpenter perfects their detailing, our minds can enhance specific cognitive skills for sharper and more thoughtful intellectual work.

As we head into 2025, I want to introduce a concept I call “The Cognitive Skill Stack.” This is a set of seven skills that provide a framework for improving our thinking abilities. While technological advancements might make some aspects of thinking appear easier, the reality is more complex.

Technology often simplifies superficial thinking. However, true thinking—the kind that matters—is never easy. While technological tools provide greater access to information, this is only the first step. Just as access to gold ore doesn’t eliminate the need for refining it, access to information doesn’t replace the effort of deep, meaningful thought.

The Cognitive Skill Stack forms the foundation for processing information, solving problems, and generating new ideas. Below is a summary of each skill, its definition, importance, and tips for improvement, presented in ascending order of difficulty.

(1) Attention

At the foundation level of the cognitive skill stack is the skill of attention. We can understand attention as the ability to concentrate on specific stimuli or tasks for a sustained amount of time while ignoring distractions.

We are constantly bombarded with distractions to lure us away from deep engagement with thought. Once distractions do occur, it takes us a significant amount of time to refocus our attention back to the tasks at hand.

Honing the skill of attention is an essential fundamental skill to excellent thinking. Without it, every other cognitive function becomes compromised. The good news? Attention is trainable, like a muscle.

To strengthen your skills of attention, work on intentional periods of deep engagement followed by brief periods of intentional rest and recovery. The more intense and challenging the stimuli, the more rest and recovery you will need. I’ll share some more tips in future posts, but for now something like the Pomodoro Technique is a great place to start.

(2) Observation

A little less obvious than the skill of attention, but equally as foundational is the skill of observation. This can be understood as the ability to notice key details, patterns, similarities and differences, etc.

Our contemporary culture tends to value faced paced thinking. We often feel pressured to make decisions in a hurry, based on our initial impressions of the details – without necessarily having the full picture. Therefore, the skill of making observations, to look and look again, is essential for clear and thorough thinking.

One initial step in strengthening your observation skills is to challenge yourself to exhaust your noticing. Pick a subject, look, make observations – rinse and repeat.

(3) Memory

I learned about the importance of this skill later in my intellectual development. When we discuss memory, you likely have (traumatic) flashbacks to index cards and mindless repetition of facts, dates, and formulas. Memory is the ability to learn, store, and retrieve information when needed.

Modern technology makes it easy for us to offload (or upload) our memory to external tools. This is a good thing when it comes to certain information like my task manager, calendar appointments, and digital files. But it is not an adequate tool for the full possession of knowledge. When we memorize information, it becomes a part and extension of us in ways that digital tools fall short of. For example, if you have read and memorized parts and passages of the Christian Bible, your ability to engage with literature is significantly enhanced. You pick up on things others cannot. Your observations are sharper. You can more naturally interact with the material. Sure, you can always look it up, but without a well of memory to draw from you are limited to the observations of others and have to take their word for it.

I was reminded of the importance of memory recently after a re-read of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The full possession of knowledge through memory should be enough motivation to pursue growth in this liberating skill.

(4) Taxonomy

One of my favorite metaphors to use when thinking about mental activity comes from the Yale College faculty report of 1828 (hang with me). We can think of a mind like a house, they write, and one of the outcomes of strong mental powers is that of a well furnished and organized mind. The skill of taxonomy (association and organization) captures this idea of the well furnished mind. We can think of this skill as the ability to group, classify, and organize information. It is the skill of knowing which piece of “intellectual furniture” belongs in a given room and how it relates to the other pieces of furniture. Organized information is easier to retrieve and apply. As Seth Godin, recently pointed out, taxonomy is a service both to ourselves and others. This skill is the bridge between knowledge acquisition and practical application.

The skill of association and organization works hand in hand with the skill of memorization. As we expand our memory vault, the increased volume of data we now possess allows us to make better connections. Again, this is where our digital tools are not so helpful. To exercise this power, you actually have to think and retrieve information. You have to know where to look and how to put the pieces together. This is probably the most abstract skill in the list. I’ll come back and expand on this idea in future posts.

(5) Logical Reasoning

The skill of logical reasoning is probably the first place our mind goes when we think of skills to improve our thinking. It certainly is an important skill, but without the previous four, improving our ability to reason logically can be a struggle. Logical reasoning enables you to construct strong arguments, avoid cognitive biases, and solve complex problems effectively.

One of the most helpful places to start building this skill is simply learning the structure of strong argumentation and the simple fallacies that make for weak arguments. By learning the basic structure of argumentation, my ability to understand, summarize, and communicate complex ideas has greatly improved.

(6) Wisdom (or, Judgment)

It is not enough to know how to make strong arguments that withstand attack. We must know how to implement the mental powers at the proper time, in the proper way, and with excellent intellectual character. In other words, we need the virtue of wisdom to govern our thinking. Wisdom is the hallmark of mature thinking.

Growing in wisdom is never easy, but a good place to start is by seeking feedback. Asking for feedback from someone who’s opinion and counsel you trust takes a whole suite of virtues like honesty, humility, courage, etc. The activity of reflection helps you to learn from your mistakes and successes. Applying the feedback and advice you receive further deepens the channel of wisdom making it more enjoyable and natural as you progress in this intellectual virtue. To summarize King Solomon the author of Proverbs, wisdom is costly – but it’s worth it.

(7) Creative Imagination

The last skill on the list is the human superpower of creative imagination. This is the ability to generate new ideas, synthesize information, and develop novel solutions to problems. Creative imagination is distinct from association and organization in the sense that it unites the entire economy of the mind. Rather than developing ideas out of a single room, creative imagination integrates the whole mental house. It integrates subjects and concepts in order to arrive at new ideas and creative solutions.

Looking Forward

My goal as I head into 2025, is to apply myself to learning and expanding more on each of the skills in this framework. This might be a controversial take to end a post on, but as technology (A.I.) develops to take on more basic cognitive tasks, the human advantage will lie in higher-order thinking—exactly what the Cognitive Skill Stack is aimed at. By mastering these skills, you’re not just improving your thinking; you’re future-proofing your mind.

What level of the cognitive skill stack are you working on right now?

Let me know your thoughts!