Daniel Kahneman – Magician and Trickster? A review of Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow presents the automatic and effortful cognitive processing routes, which are named system 1 and system 2 by the author. The book includes descriptions and relatable illustrations of heuristics, biases, and other leaps of reasoning that one applies when cognitively depleted or inattentive. The comprehensible explanations of the processes, intermixed with sometimes amusing anecdotes of a Nobel laureate’s life and research, are likely why this book has made its way onto bookshelves of prominent academics and onto the syllabus of behavioural science programs at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. The irony of the book is that, intentionally or otherwise, the author uses many manipulations of cognition throughout the book that likely deactivate the reader's critical ‘system 2’ thinking. In the science of the mind, there are so many potentially confounding variables that it is rightfully encouraged by those researching this area to be cautious