The war inside our brain
The brain is a complex organ whose modes of functioning we are only beginning to discover, in part thanks to brain imaging. In this book, it is a question of fighting the views of the mind by resisting intellectual automatism, of thinking before deciding, of inhibiting our first impression. This is the principle of intelligence.
The brain works with three systems: it first apprehends the world quickly, automatically, intuitively, then it proceeds more slowly through logic and reflection. The third system is located in between: it is the time of arbitration and inhibition. Because sometimes you have to know how to say no to your brain so as not to be trapped. This is what is demonstrated through the four principles that structure thought: the notion of object (permanence of the object), the notion of number (conservation of the number), the notion of category (the quality of object) and that of logical reasoning (learning).
Our senses inform us immediately and sometimes deceive us because sometimes different reasoning strategies come into competition. The cognitive process is therefore less linear than one might think, it is sometimes necessary to learn to unlearn to regain control.
Learning to resist, to prefer logic to belief, validity to credibility, is also to teach difference and tolerance.
Learn to resist – To combat cognitive biases, Olivier Houde. Flammarion editions – 140 pages, 8 euros
