According to Kahneman, our brains are comprised of two main systems: one that has the ability to think fast and another that thinks slow. Naturally, the first system acts on impulse. This part of the brain operates automatically and almost effortlessly, controlling our involuntary actions such as reacting to a dangerous incoming object or telling our hearts to keep beating. The second system, however, acts in a more methodological manner - it processes inputs and information instead of acting purely on intuition and natural inclination. This part of the brain is usually responsible for helping us solve computational problems and serves as the “hub” for most of the critical thinking we do. In the first chapter of Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman claims that these two systems of the brain are analogous to two characters or personalities that are always competing with one another. He states that system one functions off heuristics - which are the biases that exist in our intuition - and that system two is then faced with the task of evaluating and attempting to fix those biases (often failing to do so effectively). Therefore, one of the main points of his book is to elucidate how to “recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes when the stakes are high”.

In the second chapter of Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman describes how most humans have a natural tendency to think fast. This is because system two usually requires more thought and “work” and history has shown that humans are lazy and shy away from tasks that require effort when an easier alternative exists. One thing that is troubling to me is how much human beings rely on calculators even for simple arithmetic. We do so because it requires less strain on our minds. However, according to Kahneman, allowing our brains to constantly think fast and never slow is