Government plays a crucial role in society by establishing laws and rules that regulate the behavior of individuals and organizations. But how exactly does a government operate?
In this deep dive, discover how government works. The deep dive will consist of several sections, from how a government is formed to how choices are made.
This deep dive was made in the spring of 2022.
Part 1 focuses on the origins of biases. First, you will discover the difference between System 1 and System 2, the two ways the brain works, as researched by psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. Next, you will learn how the operation and interaction of System 1 and System 2 leads to biases.
Part 2 focuses on biases and complex decisions. Methods for countering biases in complex decisions, as described by author Steven Johnson, are discussed. These methods will assist you in making important decisions, now or in the future.
In six chapters you will learn about the brain, biases and decision-making. Upon completion, you'll have access to a summary of key points. You can also discover additional resources to learn further. At the end, you can take a quiz to test your gained knowledge.
The human brain is a fascinating system. It often works exceptionally well, without a doubt. The brain (unconsciously) processes information so that you often make the right choices. If we had to process all information consciously, we would become completely paralyzed and burned out.
However, we make regular and predictable mistakes: biases. The very processes we benefit so much from when making good choices sometimes oversimplify information too much and too quickly. As a result, we form wrong judgments or make poor decisions. Biases are a fundamental flaw that you have to deal with on a daily basis.
Not every decision has a big impact on your life. If you forget your umbrella because you were convinced it wouldn't rain, getting wet is probably the worst outcome. But you don't want biases to play a major role in important decisions. Therefore, focus on preventing biases from influencing your important decisions.
Before you learn how to do this, it is important to understand how your brain works. The next chapter introduces you to the system that makes almost all decisions for you.
