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Uncategorized|Reading Time: < 1

Why is it so difficult for us to think statistically?

We easily think associatively, we think metaphorically, we think causally, but statistics requires thinking about many things at once, which is something that System 1 is not designed to do.

Appreciating uncertainty is not exactly rewarded either:

An unbiased appreciation of uncertainty is a cornerstone of rationality—but it is not what people and organizations want. Extreme uncertainty is paralyzing under dangerous circumstances, and the admission that one is merely guessing is especially unacceptable when the stakes are high. Acting on pretended knowledge is often the preferred approach.

Via Thinking, Fast and Slow

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