The Two Minds Within: Fast and Slow Thinking

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Thinking Fast and Slow. I’m Dr. Esther Hattingh, and today we’re diving fast and slow ways of thinking that Daniel Kahneman so brilliantly unpacks. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how our brains trip us up, let’s start with why Kahneman wrote this book in the first place. He wanted to give us a richer vocabulary for talking about the mistakes we make in judgment. Not just to point fingers, but to actually understand why we—and everyone else—fall into these traps. It’s about shining a light on the psychology of decision-making, and, honestly, once you see these patterns, you can’t unsee them.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Kahneman’s journey wasn’t a solo one, either. Kahneman’s joint research with Amos Tversky didn’t just shape this book; it really changed the whole field of how we think about thinking. Tversky’s influence is everywhere in Kahneman’s work, and you can feel the respect and admiration in every story he tells about their collaboration. I remember the first time I stumbled across their research, I was working on a new instructional design project, and it just—well, it challenge me to think with Khaneman’s and Tversky’s work in mind. Suddenly, I was questioning whether my learners were relying on intuition or actually engaging in reasoned analysis. It made me rethink how I approached teaching, how I evaluated learning, and, honestly, how I made decisions in my own life. Funny how a couple of psychologists can make you second-guess your own gut, right?

Dr. Esther Hattingh

So, let’s talk about these two systems—System 1 and System 2. Kahneman describes System 1 as the fast, automatic, intuitive way of thinking. It’s the part of your mind that just knows things, often without you even realizing it. Like, you see a face and instantly recognize a friend, or you finish someone’s sentence before they do. That’s System 1 at work. Then there’s System 2, which is slower, more deliberate, and logical. It’s the part that kicks in when you’re solving a tough math problem or trying to remember where you left your keys. But here’s the kicker—System 2 is, well, a bit lazy. It doesn’t want to work unless it absolutely has to. Most of the time, it just rubber-stamps whatever System 1 suggests.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

And, you know, System 1 really dominates our daily lives. We like to think we’re rational creatures, but most of our decisions are made on autopilot. System 2 only steps in when things get tricky or when we force ourselves to slow down. Kahneman uses this Add-1 task as an example—try adding one to each digit in a string of numbers, like turning 4957 into 5068. It sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly hard, and it takes so much mental effort that you become almost blind to everything else around you. Your pupils dilate, your heart rate goes up—it’s real work for your brain.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

There’s this classic case study—the Müller-Lyer illusion. You’ve probably seen it: two lines, one with arrowheads pointing out, the other with tails. Even when you know the lines are the same length, your brain insists one is shorter. It’s wild. Even experts, people who’ve studied this stuff for years, still fall for it. That’s the power of System 1—it’s automatic, and it’s stubborn. Knowing about the bias doesn’t make you immune. You have to use System 2, deliberately, to override what your gut is telling you. And, honestly, even then, it’s a struggle. I always find that fascinating—how our brains can be so clever and so easily fooled at the same time.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

Now, here’s where things get a bit uncomfortable. Kahneman points out that we’re not very good at criticizing our own thinking. We’re much better at spotting mistakes in others—maybe a little too good, if you ask me. But that’s actually part of the hope in his work. If we can learn to spot these blind spots together, as a community, we can help each other make better decisions. It’s not just about individual self-awareness; it’s about collective improvement. I love that idea—turning self-critique into a group activity, almost like a mental team sport.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

One thing that really stands out in Kahneman’s writing is how he uses memorable terminology—System 1, System 2—and storytelling to make these concepts stick. It’s not just clever branding; it’s actually a cognitive strategy. Stories and simple names help us remember and apply these ideas, both on our own and when we’re working with others. I’ve seen this in my own teaching—when I frame lessons as stories, or give students catchy terms to use, the learning just clicks. It’s like Kahneman designed his book not just to inform, but to be remembered and shared. And, honestly, that’s what makes these ideas so powerful—they’re not just for psychologists; they’re for all of us, every day.

Dr. Esther Hattingh

So, as we wrap up part one chapters two and three, I hope you’re starting to notice the fast, intuitive thinking and the slow, deliberate thinking. Next time, we’ll dig even deeper into the tricks our minds play on us and how we can outsmart them, together. Until then, keep thinking, both fast and slow. Remeber to never miss an oppotunity to learn! Till next time enjoy.