Thinking, Fast and Slow

“When you are asked what you are thinking about, you can normally answer. You believe you know what goes on in your mind, which often consists of one conscious thought leading in an orderly way to another. But that is not the only way the mind works, nor indeed is that the typical way.”

Kahneman introduces the basic premise of the book, which is well-grounded in research. He aims to reveal to readers many aspects of how their minds work by explaining the roles of and relationship between Systems 1 and 2—processes that we are largely unaware of. In a sense, this excerpt comes close to providing a very broad thesis statement for the book.

“One of the main functions of System 2 is to monitor and control thoughts and actions ‘suggested’ by System 1, allowing some to be expressed directly in behavior and suppressing or modifying others.” 

This quotation aptly expresses the core of the relationship between System 1 and System 2. It is significant because this basic relationship is foundational to many of the processes, biases, and other phenomena that are discussed throughout the book.

“Anything that makes it easier for the associative machine to run smoothly will also bias beliefs. A reliable way to make other people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth.” 

Kahneman identifies one of the primary techniques used by propogandists. He discusses the mechanism through which and reason why people believe what they repeatedly hear irrespective of truth or falsity. In essence, this quotation points to the psychological explanation of why something comes to be regarded as familiar and therefore preferred through mere exposure.