Thinking, Fast and Slow
Summary Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman writes a book around one of his life’s central theses. The mind has two modes of thinking; he labels them System 1 and System 2, or from the title, fast and slow. The hallmarks of System 1 are its quickness, automaticity, and blindness to its own biases. System 2’s characteristics are effortful and deliberate thinking. A good example is the difference between answering the question “What is the capital of the United States?” vs the question “What is 32 multiplied by 12?” Notice how an answer for the first question flew into your head, while the second question required you to stop and slow down. An effect of System 2 requiring extra effort and slowing down means that it is lazy and will delegate work any chance it gets, which is likely why you didn’t bother to answer the 32 times 12 question but continued to read past it. ...