The real distinction on classic and romantic thinking is how much and what kind of meaning is applied. In my opinion, a romantic can look at a piece of art, although I realize how unfair of an example this is, and wonder about what kind of emotion the art is trying to capture or what kind of story the artist is trying to tell with the colors. A classical thinker would think about what kind of colors were mixed together and what kind of base was used to mix the paints.
I would say I am a classical thinker. I like breaking things down in ways that are easier for me to process. For example I am a big list maker. To use the going to the beach question earlier I would be making a list of things I would need to get through the whole trip and not just the fun parts. For projects I like doing them one part at a time so that it can all make up a whole project. In my opinion looking at the meaning of things is kind of counter productive because one opinion is just as good as the other because everyone's mindset is different and equally valid to them so what is the point in arguing. A classically fueled world would be an efficient and productive one but it would be devoid of life.
I like your example about art, and I don't think it is an unfair example at all. There are so many ways of looking at art, but fundamentally you can choose to focus on either the basic look of the piece or you can go deeper and look at the meaning and the mechanics. I think a lot of people use both in their analysis of art and this is what gives our opinions depth and makes them all unique.
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