The two different levels of mind (a dulled, more simplistic level and a sophisticated, higher order thought level) mean that in each level, a person is thinking differently. How does a person think differently when they are drunk, on pain medication, or otherwise not thinking clearly vs when they are thinking clearly? Is their thinking more top-down or bottom-up?
Or I could just simply ask the question - is an animals thinking (such as a dogs) more top-down or bottom- up compared to a humans?
Does that statement make sense? A dog doesn't necessarily look at any details, so you couldn't say that dogs look at broad conclusions first and then analyze down to the detail or vice versa (top-down vs. bottom-up thinking).
I am proposing that some peoples thinking is more top-down or bottom-up in general than another persons. It isn't clear what that means exactly though. Top-down or bottom-up thinking usually refers to a specific way of analyzing something, not to how someone thinks in general. Though if you consider how someone might think if they aren't being as intelligent, it makes me wonder if they might be more abstract and reach broad, not supported by any evidence conclusions first ('top-down') and ignore details. I could say that some people do that without thinking less than they usually do as well, however.
What are the higher levels of thought that are shut off when someone can't think clearly? I mentioned before that they might not respond as intelligently to other people (social cognition). But is that the full mystery behind the differences in these levels of thinking or is more analysis necessary?
When the higher intellectual functions of a humans brain are operating less efficiently, or are more shut off, (such as when someone is drugged, drunk or on pain medication) they are less under control of their cognition. In this way they are more like lesser animals since they cannot think as well.
Maybe when people can't think as clearly they make statements that don't necessarily make sense, or aren't supported by facts. I could say that those statements are a more top-down type of thinking because they reached conclusions first without looking at the details.
Making conclusions without looking at supporting details is both related to top-down thinking and subjective thinking. If you analyze the details of an idea or argument, you are probably making it less subjective and more scientific and objective.
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