All boiled down to tactical vs strategic. Thinking Fast and Slow & Gladwell's Blink, all point to time horizons. Time and ROD - return on decision. Do I have time to make a better decision? No? Decide. Yes, gather more info to make a more strategic choice. With regards to the "fast" part, yeah, there's more to it, different parts of the brain taking action, learning to trust "gut" reactions. But, I view that as developing one's tactical adroitness. Strategy encompasses a broader expanse of information and ramifications. Fun topic. I would not consider an elephant as a tactical, fast-acting beast, though.
Good points. The elephant isn't a metaphor for fast acting but of the size difference between emotion and reason and how that balance becomes harder. The emotional brain is INSANELY fast though. I can startle you and so many systems have already fired long before your prefrontal cortex, your rider, your system 2 brain, can even get the signal and kick in. The elephant is already halfway into the jungle on a rampage. 🙂
I see. I would argue fast is shallow but wide. While slow is narrow but impossibly deep. So deep as to induce analysis paralysis, as the one fellow experienced.
Well done! And today, I subscribed. Now- was that a rational or emotional decision? A bit of both. I appreciate well-organized and thoughtful writing (rational) And, you cited authors whose books resonate with me( emotional). The icing on the emotional + rational cake: Robert A. Heinlein's quote. So, there you go, just being human, rationalizing my emotional responses.
Haha. Welcome and I like to play with both because both are what makes us human. The best part is to be able to tease the nuance just like you did. That's helps us introspect on a lot of other things as well.
I cannot count how many times I have seen this concept cited as an explanation for why logic and reason doesn’t explain the observations we see around us.
It’s a fairly simple concept but broadly applicable. I called it the “reality distortion field” in my writings.
It’s the reason that so many concepts in progress studies are counterintuitive. The idea, for example, that import tariffs reduce exports, or that immigrants create more jobs, or that resources become more abundant when there are more humans….doesn’t make any sense intuitively.
Yeah. It's interesting because logically people don't make sense because we're emotional but then emotionally it doesn't make sense because putting all the variables and relationships together is hard.
"... is hard." A concept genuinely at the crux of all our learning and doing. We are innundated by tools that want to make the difficult easy for us. Some are extremely valuable and others tend to numb our abilities and encourage a lazy mindset.
I agree. If you've read many of my essays here, you'll see that a common theme isn't to 'solve' a problem but to define it, play with it, and struggle with the complexity because the 'easy' answers are typically wrong.
Nice one. The older I get, the more I see that emotions get into the driver's seat far more often than I ever would have admitted when I was a kid. Every year, I get just a bit more aware of this complex relationship, and I've learned to create space and time for these emotions when they arise. Sometimes, they know something I don't!
I've always considered formal and symbolic logic to be alien to the human mind. It is a powerful tool, but one that is difficult to handle for most people. A little like matrix multiplication. Whether System 1 or System 2, the objective is decision. Without immediate time constraint, we can engage in a process of deliberation that results in an informed, considered decision. That process is not formal logic, and may not be entirely native to our mind, but it is a process that can benefit from experience, learning and training.
Thanks and totally agree. Once we understand how our brains are wired and working we can start to understand how to intentionally focus on topics for informated and considered decisions. If we don't understand how it's wired and works.. There's nothing that will help.
I continually work on making better decisions. I agree that emotions and shortcuts are essential—they're our body's efficient way of making quick decisions. Here’s why:
Biological Efficiency: The brain consumes a lot of energy, so analyzing every decision is impractical. This need for efficiency led to shortcuts like cognitive biases and mental models.
Historical Context: In our hunter-gatherer past, quick decisions were often necessary for survival. While modern life is different, many decisions today still have limited consequences and can be made quickly.
Strategies I've Found Helpful:
1. Prioritize Analysis: Not every problem requires deep analysis. For minor decisions, rely on experience and System 1.
2. Assess Consequences: Identify which decisions have long-term impacts. Use a framework to prioritize your time effectively.
3. Set Deadlines: Having deadlines helps prevent overanalyzing and encourages timely decisions.
4. Utilize Subconscious Processing: Allow time for subconscious processing and research before making crucial decisions.
5. Plan for Risks: Consider potential downsides and have backup plans.
6. Embrace Flexibility: Mistakes are inevitable. Be adaptable to unexpected situations as things come from nowhere (COVID).
7. Avoid Overload: Limit the number of complex decisions you work on at a given time to avoid overwhelming your subconscious. Make as few decisions as possible so you make quality decisions.
Reed Hastings: “Make as Few Decisions as Possible”
8. Backward thinking and premortem: For important decisions, look backward from the decision to identify risks and use techniques like premortem analysis to uncover potential issues/risks on my most crucial decisions, as considering failure brings more insight to the forefront.
That does not mean I do not make wrong/bad decisions, but I try to reduce my chances of making them. Sometimes, you have to make a quick crucial decision as you do not have the luxury of time. In those cases, I use experience and mental models and ask myself: “What is the best decision I can make based on what I know right now?”
Have you read “The secret of our success” (https://tinyurl.com/3mxrjct4)? It explores how cultural adaptation has driven human evolution rather than just genetic evolution. I am on the second to last chapter, and I found it to be a very interesting angle that I had never considered before.
All boiled down to tactical vs strategic. Thinking Fast and Slow & Gladwell's Blink, all point to time horizons. Time and ROD - return on decision. Do I have time to make a better decision? No? Decide. Yes, gather more info to make a more strategic choice. With regards to the "fast" part, yeah, there's more to it, different parts of the brain taking action, learning to trust "gut" reactions. But, I view that as developing one's tactical adroitness. Strategy encompasses a broader expanse of information and ramifications. Fun topic. I would not consider an elephant as a tactical, fast-acting beast, though.
Good points. The elephant isn't a metaphor for fast acting but of the size difference between emotion and reason and how that balance becomes harder. The emotional brain is INSANELY fast though. I can startle you and so many systems have already fired long before your prefrontal cortex, your rider, your system 2 brain, can even get the signal and kick in. The elephant is already halfway into the jungle on a rampage. 🙂
I see. I would argue fast is shallow but wide. While slow is narrow but impossibly deep. So deep as to induce analysis paralysis, as the one fellow experienced.
I think so too.
Well done! And today, I subscribed. Now- was that a rational or emotional decision? A bit of both. I appreciate well-organized and thoughtful writing (rational) And, you cited authors whose books resonate with me( emotional). The icing on the emotional + rational cake: Robert A. Heinlein's quote. So, there you go, just being human, rationalizing my emotional responses.
Haha. Welcome and I like to play with both because both are what makes us human. The best part is to be able to tease the nuance just like you did. That's helps us introspect on a lot of other things as well.
I cannot count how many times I have seen this concept cited as an explanation for why logic and reason doesn’t explain the observations we see around us.
It’s a fairly simple concept but broadly applicable. I called it the “reality distortion field” in my writings.
It’s the reason that so many concepts in progress studies are counterintuitive. The idea, for example, that import tariffs reduce exports, or that immigrants create more jobs, or that resources become more abundant when there are more humans….doesn’t make any sense intuitively.
Yeah. It's interesting because logically people don't make sense because we're emotional but then emotionally it doesn't make sense because putting all the variables and relationships together is hard.
"... is hard." A concept genuinely at the crux of all our learning and doing. We are innundated by tools that want to make the difficult easy for us. Some are extremely valuable and others tend to numb our abilities and encourage a lazy mindset.
I agree. If you've read many of my essays here, you'll see that a common theme isn't to 'solve' a problem but to define it, play with it, and struggle with the complexity because the 'easy' answers are typically wrong.
Nice one. The older I get, the more I see that emotions get into the driver's seat far more often than I ever would have admitted when I was a kid. Every year, I get just a bit more aware of this complex relationship, and I've learned to create space and time for these emotions when they arise. Sometimes, they know something I don't!
Great point. When we slow down and pay attention to the emotions, it certainly shows us some things.
Have you read "The Chimp Paradox"? Good exploration of this theme.
I have not! I now need to. Thanks for the recommendation.
Beautiful essay! Perfect image.
I've always considered formal and symbolic logic to be alien to the human mind. It is a powerful tool, but one that is difficult to handle for most people. A little like matrix multiplication. Whether System 1 or System 2, the objective is decision. Without immediate time constraint, we can engage in a process of deliberation that results in an informed, considered decision. That process is not formal logic, and may not be entirely native to our mind, but it is a process that can benefit from experience, learning and training.
Thanks and totally agree. Once we understand how our brains are wired and working we can start to understand how to intentionally focus on topics for informated and considered decisions. If we don't understand how it's wired and works.. There's nothing that will help.
A topic that is very close to my heart!
I continually work on making better decisions. I agree that emotions and shortcuts are essential—they're our body's efficient way of making quick decisions. Here’s why:
Biological Efficiency: The brain consumes a lot of energy, so analyzing every decision is impractical. This need for efficiency led to shortcuts like cognitive biases and mental models.
Historical Context: In our hunter-gatherer past, quick decisions were often necessary for survival. While modern life is different, many decisions today still have limited consequences and can be made quickly.
Strategies I've Found Helpful:
1. Prioritize Analysis: Not every problem requires deep analysis. For minor decisions, rely on experience and System 1.
2. Assess Consequences: Identify which decisions have long-term impacts. Use a framework to prioritize your time effectively.
3. Set Deadlines: Having deadlines helps prevent overanalyzing and encourages timely decisions.
4. Utilize Subconscious Processing: Allow time for subconscious processing and research before making crucial decisions.
5. Plan for Risks: Consider potential downsides and have backup plans.
6. Embrace Flexibility: Mistakes are inevitable. Be adaptable to unexpected situations as things come from nowhere (COVID).
7. Avoid Overload: Limit the number of complex decisions you work on at a given time to avoid overwhelming your subconscious. Make as few decisions as possible so you make quality decisions.
Reed Hastings: “Make as Few Decisions as Possible”
8. Backward thinking and premortem: For important decisions, look backward from the decision to identify risks and use techniques like premortem analysis to uncover potential issues/risks on my most crucial decisions, as considering failure brings more insight to the forefront.
That does not mean I do not make wrong/bad decisions, but I try to reduce my chances of making them. Sometimes, you have to make a quick crucial decision as you do not have the luxury of time. In those cases, I use experience and mental models and ask myself: “What is the best decision I can make based on what I know right now?”
Those are great steps to manage it. Thanks!
Have you read “The secret of our success” (https://tinyurl.com/3mxrjct4)? It explores how cultural adaptation has driven human evolution rather than just genetic evolution. I am on the second to last chapter, and I found it to be a very interesting angle that I had never considered before.
Yep. Ilove that book too. I wrote about Homo Socialis but I didn't get into the evolutionary drivers but more the social superpower.
https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/homo-socialis