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.
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.
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