Thinking, Fast and Slow

Speaking of System 1 and System 2 “He had an impression, but some of his impressions are illusions.” “This was a pure System 1 response. She reacted to the threat before she recognized it.” “This is your System 1 talking. Slow down and let your System 2 take control.”

and limitations.

The question that is most often asked about cognitive illusions is whether they can be overcome. The message of these examples is not encouraging. Because System 1 operates automatically and cannot be turned off at will, errors of intuitive thought are often difficult to prevent. Biases cannot always be avoided, because System 2 may have no clue to

The best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes when the stakes are high. The premise of this book is that it is easier to recognize other people’s mistakes than our own. Useful Fictions You have been invited to think of the two systems as agents within the

Not all illusions are visual. There are illusions of thought, which we call cognitive illusions.

Illusions

Conflict between an automatic reaction and an intention to control it is common in our lives.

System 1 runs automatically and System 2 is normally in a comfortable low-effort mode, in which only a fraction of its capacity is engaged. System 1 continuously generates suggestions for System

System 2 is activated when an event is detected that violates the model of the world that System 1 maintains.