Slow Thought

We live in highly opinionated times, and between an unrelenting news cycle and bottomless ideological divides, we feel pressure to take sides hastily, often on situations and issues that are still developing, or on subjects we have little knowledge about.  

Le Penseur (The Thinker) at the Musée Rodin in Paris

While the ability to think and act swiftly is regarded as a necessary skill in many situations, research suggests that slow thinking requires more orderly thought and pay out more productive decision-making than quick reactions, which are often less accurate or useful. Lao Tzu was one of the foremost philosophers who spoke fervently in favour of cognitive patience. To him, simplicity, patience, and compassion were three greatest treasures of a person. He also believed that a person who knows does not speak, and one who speaks does not know.

Daniel Kahneman, an Israeli-American psychologist and one of the most prominent advocates of slow thinking research, in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011), says that people mostly rely on speediness, but it's actually the slowness that assists better decisions to be made.      

When we’re not quickly jumping to conclusions or expeditiously taking actions, we’re free to weigh ideas and adjust our minds, or just be intentionally undecided. Having no fixed position is sometimes a liberating way to navigate the situation.         

As, in an Aeon article, Vincenzo Di Nicola, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, says, slow thought is playful, and it ‘appeals to reflection before conviction, clarity before a call to action.’

Wired for Bias

The human brain may be a natural wonder, but it is often an irrational snarl of biases. With around 100,000 chemical reactions every second and over 50,000 thoughts every day hitting our brain, our judgements are often wrong because our brain trusts cognitive biases more than strong evidence.

An article published recently by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania explains how racial and gender biases are hurting our economy. It mentions a survey by the American Economic Association which acknowledges an alarmingly high level of gender bias in the field of economics, with around 50 per cent of the female respondents alleging they experienced discrimination. A staggering number of the female participants in the survey - around two-thirds - said their work isn’t taken as seriously as that of their male colleagues.

Additionally, around a third of non-white participants, from both sexes, admitted they had experienced racial discrimination, compared to barely four per cent of white respondents.                         

Corporate organisations and universities have procedures through their HR departments to address issues emanating from biases and discrimination, but measures taken to counter the problems are often toothless. Biases are so hardwired, appearing to be beyond any change, that most attention is paid not to counter them, but to avoid them.      

Our brain is wired for biases, but is it really possible for us to overcome our in-built biases or significantly mitigate them? Its answer cannot be precise or sharply defined. Corporate organisations, schools and universities, and government institutions have been only partially successful in their approach to a diverse and inclusive culture. Cognitive and implicit biases are natural, but the key is to understand that they have damaging consequences.                 

Yemen: Cholera in the Time of War

According to a recent report on Yemen by the United Nations, ‘cholera is starting to spread like wildfire across the country,’ with around 200 deaths and more than 110,000 cases of the disease outbreak reported over the past three months.

The Yemeni Civil War that began four years ago, involving Iran-supported Houthi movement and internationally recognised Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia, has brought around ten million people on the brink of famine and starvation. Around seven million people are malnourished, and, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, around 80 per cent of the population needs humanitarian protection and assistance.

To make the situation worse, the cholera outbreak - the third major one since the civil war commenced in late 2014 - have pushed Yemen to face the world’s most pressing humanitarian crisis.            

The ongoing conflict has cut off transport routes for aid urgently in need including food and fuel. Incomes of families have been lost because of non-payment of salaries. The UN and international aid agencies have largely increased their response to assuage the grim situation, but only five per cent of $4.2 billion 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan has been funded.

With no end of the civil war in sight, conditions in Yemen are so extreme that it may take long before the situation begins to normalise after a ceasefire between warring sides is agreed, if that ever happens.