# From Symptoms to Causes Author: ## Review This is short booklet with a more intuitive explanation of the logical thinking process and some examples of applications. I think this book is a better introduction to the topic than other content out there. It really provides an easy way to understand the process by using am example of how to achieve the goal of having a nice looking house. The whole process allows us to dig deeper into our objective and what is necessary to get there; what is at the root cause of the symptoms we are seeing; how we can discover ideas to resolve conflicts between action and inaction; whether those ideas lead to the result we want without unintended consequences; and what tasks are necessary to implement the idea. When I first started learning about this whole framework I thought it was stating the obvious. But the more I learn about it the more I realize that it seems simple but going through the process is necessary, especially as the size of the problem grows. The process allows you to externalize and visualize your assumptions and your beliefs on cause-and-effect. Having this in front of you and out of your memory makes it tangible and allows you to investigate and tests those beliefs and assumptions. Clarity of meaning, truth and logical validity are important when going through the process and going through the steps and checklist will expose any faults in your thinking. There are many parts that remind me of [[Psychology of Intelligence Analysis]], and I guess the purpose is similar. For parts of the LTP process we are trying to externalize and visualize our assumptions and model of the world in order to test their validity. The analysis of alternative hypothesis put forth by Heuer is similar in that respect, and also gives us analytical devices to challenge our assumptions. ## Key Ideas - Goal Tree - Problem Tree - Conflict Resolution Diagram - Solution Tree - Implementation Tree ## Related - [[The Logical Thinking Process]] - [[The Logical Thinking Process An Executive Summary]] - [[Psychology of Intelligence Analysis]]