Fast and Slow Thinking: What Will Be Left for Humans?
February 10, 2025
Following my evaluation of the Tumba Festival and the organization of our carnival, many people agreed with me—though, of course, there was some healthy opposition. However, much of the disagreement seemed to stem from fast thinking. After all, no one can deny that the younger generation is taking over and shaping things in their own way. It’s simply a fact of life. As Steve Jobs famously said, “Death is the best invention.”
At first glance, this seems to be about the younger generation. But what indeed concerns me is how we pass things on and the lack of depth in that process. This superficiality isn’t tied to any generation. The older generation, now handing things over, hasn’t taken the time for slow thinking either. No one seems to engage with my argument that carnival is an inclusive cultural tradition, not a commercial product. But I don’t want to focus on carnival—I want to talk about fast and slow thinking.
Slow thinking means deeper thinking: reflecting, analyzing, and re-evaluating. It means thinking beyond the obvious, questioning assumptions, and seeing things from multiple angles. Recently, Jan Sierhuis touched on something similar: within the government—and, I believe, on our island—we rarely move beyond fast thinking. A quick Google search, and suddenly, we think we know everything.
But slow thinking isn’t just about taking more time. It involves three crucial processes:
• Omdenken (Reframing) – Looking at things differently, questioning assumptions, and turning problems into opportunities.
• Doordenken (Deep Thinking) – This involves not stopping at the first answer but exploring deeper layers and long-term effects.
• Terugdenken (Reflective Thinking) – Learning from past experiences and applying those lessons to future decisions.
I recently read an article arguing that AI was initially expected to handle only fast thinking. But now, it is increasingly taking over slow thinking as well. If both fast and slow thinking are being outsourced to AI, what will be left for humans to think about?
The answer, I believe, lies in something AI struggles with: meaning. AI can process data, predict outcomes, and even generate creative ideas. But does it understand the more profound significance of traditions, culture, and human emotions? True slow thinking isn’t just about analysis—it’s about wisdom. It’s about knowing why something matters, not just how it works. And that, ultimately, is where the human mind will always have a role to play.
Miguel Goede
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