Ways to solve problems

Adapted from Marwin Minsky: Emotion Machine, Part VII

Knowing how. But you may not know how to retrieve what we know.

Extensive Search.

Reasoning by Analogy.

Divide and Conquer. Break it down into simpler parts.

Planning.

Simplification. Make a simplified problem by ignoring some aspects of the original one.

Elevation. If you are bogged down in too many details, describe the situation in more general terms. But if your description is too vague, switch to one that is more concrete.