Thinking fast and slow:- author Daniel Kahneman

By Sheraz Zaka

This book was a best seller and the concepts and discourse initiated in this book is an eye opener regarding how the modern man makes a decision which influence our economic and social choices. The book has been written by a psychologist Daniel Kahneman, a winner of Nobel prize in economics.

The book discusses that it  is a generalized concept that people make rational decision unless or until the decision gets affected by the dominant effect of  emotion , fear or affection.^[1]People generally make decisions based on two assumptions: System 1 and System 2.System 1 is based on heuristic judgments where actions or decisions are formulated on the basis of emotions, intuition without any cognitive diligent thinking. People when faced with difficult decision resort to spontaneous reactions or intuitive solutions rather giving deliberative thought about the problem; whereas  System 2 occurs when the system 1 fails when a person needs to give deliberative thinking and exert oneself to make an effort to find a solution of the problem. System 2 is a phenomena of slow thinking whereas system 1 is a process of fast thinking premised on making intuitive decision not undergoing through a detailed slow decision making process.^[2]

Hence it is absolutely necessary to recognise the issues which require system 1 thinking process and system 2 process in order to minimize risk of making a mistake. Normally in emergency situations system 1 thinking process is utilized or in tasks where a man is skilled in a task and the brain gets attuned to the repeated patterns of activity. System 2 is exertion of effort to make decision amongst the different options available which require a deliberative process of thinking to choose the best option as compared to other substitutes. Hence system 2 can perform those tasks which require intuition as well as knowledge and where mind requires switching from one task to another.It has often been notices that people who are ‘cognitively busy ’or are always occupied or obsessed with digits, memorizing information or busy work schedules tend to have been influenced more by system 1 and are more likely to make decisions based on temptation, intuition, fast decision process in social situations. Secondly facing repeatedly challenging situations loosen the control of system2 because sustaining self control requires an effort of will or force which is a requisite for system 2 application. Since laziness and lethargy is in-built in human beings, therefore system2 thinking gets subdued by the intuitive and quick decision making process of system 1 especially in situations where information is scarce^[3].System 1 helps in creating first impressions which is likely to create a halo effect about a personality and such impressions are based on intuition, scarce information and perhaps lead towards biased approach in determining relations, point of view or perception of attributes about a person. It is also worthy to note that decisions are based on memories and experiences. Experiences are defined through memories. According  to writer, it is not necessary that experiences are rightly defined by memories because memories of an event are remembered, through system 1, in the long term through the intense feelings what we had at the time when the event or an episode was at its end not by the duration of the experiences of pain or pleasure a person has gone through. Hence our interests and preferences are determined not by the duration of pain or pleasure regarding the past experience but by the intense moments of the pain or pleasure we remembered in our memories when the past event or episode was at its end point.^[4]Hence we cannot fully trust our point of view regarding our own experiences because we define our experiences not through duration of our particular feelings but by the intense memories of the last moments we have of that past experience or event.^[5]  Hence we cannot fully trust our experiences on the basis of which we make decisions which define our preferences and interests. So we cannot say we make rational decisions every time.

^[1] Daniel Kahneman,Thinking fast and slow,2011 at pages 8, 12 ,28

^[2] Ibid 35

^[3] Ibid

^[4] Ibid 384,385

^[5] Ibid

The writer is a lawyer, activist, teacher, Researcher and columnist. Recently he has been enrolled as an Advocate of Supreme Court and Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan