You’ve gotten a more full answer, so I’ll elaborate on the “bat and ball” example I mentioned elsewhere. There’s a famous puzzle: a bat and ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
System 1 thinking results in the answer $0.10. Because $0.10 + $1 = $1.00. But the correct answer, which can only be arrived at in system 2, is $0.05, because the question isn’t actually about $1.10 - $1.00, but x+(x+1)=1.1. That’s not a problem system 1 thinking can do though.
my system 1 thinking: the sum of money is about 1, so each costs 1/2, but the bat costs 1 dollar too, so the bat is 1+1/2 = 3/2, and ball is 1/2. simples! wait… i forgot the .10. so bat costs 3/2.10 and 1/2.10 i guess
my system 2 thinking: i must do gaussian elimination!
Basically there’s a rapid response cognitive process that you don’t even have to consciously decide to apply that’ll give you a quick answer to posed questions. Anything where the answer is something you’ve mostly memorised and don’t need to calculate or deduce, such as ‘what’s your name?’ or 2+2. That’s system 1.
System 2 is anything you have to consciously apply a thought process to find it. Brains are lazy and like to conserve energy, so you need to decide to do it.
Obviously, what falls into which system depends on your personal habits and experience. Someone who works with numbers a lot, such as a waiter or a bookkeeper, might have the post question fall into category 1, but the average person will have to decide to solve it consciously, even if it only takes a split second.
You obviously do. It’s a pretty similar example to the classic ball & bat problem. It’s not hard maths, but system 1 basically doesn’t use maths at all. It’s pure instinct.
How would that obviously be the case? I work with numbers a lot and immediately knew 550/2 = 275, didnt need to think for the fraction of a second. The systems are not equal across different people, every mind is unique.
Small example: Would you consider 10/2 = 5 system 2? I think most people wouldnt, but ask a 1st grader and they would probably need to think for a few seconds.
If you have studied or work with numbers, components shift from system 2 to 1 depending on your experience.
I, too, just had to glance at 550 to know it was 250+ since 500/2=250 and that fact is just baked in there somewhere without me needed to think about division. And since it’s the same thing again with the 50, it doesn’t take more than a fraction of a second to do 250+25…
Basically “System 1” is intuitive gut responses, while “System 2” is anything that takes conscious effort to think through.
For a lot of people, 550/2=225 might look right at first glance (System 1) and only with conscious thought at what that division actually evaluates out to would they realize that 500/2 on it’s own is 250 and therefore the answer is actually 275 (System 2)
Is the joke that you suck at maths?
The joke is that system 1 thinking is not as accurate as system 2 thinking.
What are these systems of thinking? Never heard of them
You’ve gotten a more full answer, so I’ll elaborate on the “bat and ball” example I mentioned elsewhere. There’s a famous puzzle: a bat and ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
System 1 thinking results in the answer $0.10. Because $0.10 + $1 = $1.00. But the correct answer, which can only be arrived at in system 2, is $0.05, because the question isn’t actually about $1.10 - $1.00, but x+(x+1)=1.1. That’s not a problem system 1 thinking can do though.
I have bad news…
my system 1 thinking: the sum of money is about 1, so each costs 1/2, but the bat costs 1 dollar too, so the bat is 1+1/2 = 3/2, and ball is 1/2. simples! wait… i forgot the .10. so bat costs 3/2.10 and 1/2.10 i guess
my system 2 thinking: i must do gaussian elimination!
Basically there’s a rapid response cognitive process that you don’t even have to consciously decide to apply that’ll give you a quick answer to posed questions. Anything where the answer is something you’ve mostly memorised and don’t need to calculate or deduce, such as ‘what’s your name?’ or 2+2. That’s system 1.
System 2 is anything you have to consciously apply a thought process to find it. Brains are lazy and like to conserve energy, so you need to decide to do it.
Obviously, what falls into which system depends on your personal habits and experience. Someone who works with numbers a lot, such as a waiter or a bookkeeper, might have the post question fall into category 1, but the average person will have to decide to solve it consciously, even if it only takes a split second.
_
You shouldn’t need system 2 thinking for that at all …
You obviously do. It’s a pretty similar example to the classic ball & bat problem. It’s not hard maths, but system 1 basically doesn’t use maths at all. It’s pure instinct.
How would that obviously be the case? I work with numbers a lot and immediately knew 550/2 = 275, didnt need to think for the fraction of a second. The systems are not equal across different people, every mind is unique.
Small example: Would you consider 10/2 = 5 system 2? I think most people wouldnt, but ask a 1st grader and they would probably need to think for a few seconds.
If you have studied or work with numbers, components shift from system 2 to 1 depending on your experience.
I, too, just had to glance at 550 to know it was 250+ since 500/2=250 and that fact is just baked in there somewhere without me needed to think about division. And since it’s the same thing again with the 50, it doesn’t take more than a fraction of a second to do 250+25…
But my system 1 never thought 225.
What systems are you talking about?
It comes from here: Thinking, Fast and Slow
TIL the book is pretty recent-ish. I thought I read it ages ago.
Basically “System 1” is intuitive gut responses, while “System 2” is anything that takes conscious effort to think through.
For a lot of people, 550/2=225 might look right at first glance (System 1) and only with conscious thought at what that division actually evaluates out to would they realize that 500/2 on it’s own is 250 and therefore the answer is actually 275 (System 2)
No you don’t, it only took one look to see that half of anything bigger than 500 needs to be at least 250.
Yes. Same as: 225×2 is not 550. Well, duh, obviously