Book: Sharpening Your Critical Understanding

Book: Sharpening Your Critical Understanding

This article is from the Monthly Science et Avenir – La Recherche n°902, April 2022.

Light. I think, I choose, I decide: but how? Philosopher Joel Proust sheds light on our decision-making mechanisms in this work nurtured by neuroscience.

cognitive bias

Our brain makes decisions based on various emotions and feelings, metacognitive biases such as pleasure or spontaneity, or socio-cognitive biases related to gender or social class. In such a situation, the path leading to action is all drawn. When we always read the same newspaper, we think and we make decisions out of cognitive habit or social compulsion to like A message where we make sweeping decisions on social networks, we quit studying math because we’re a girl and we’ll be less successful…

an expected settlement

The author then argues in favor of creativity, compromises between impulsivity and the implementation of strategic cognitive tasks, and requests schooling to exercise critical thinking. Because thinking well and above all means avoiding manipulation.

28794_1686688_k2_k1_3882018.jpg

credit: Version Odile Jacob

,Think fast or think well?“Joel Proust, Odile Jacob, 318 pages, €24.90

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *