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Natalia Goloskokova's avatar

Really enjoying this series, Lee.

I’ve always found the Linda experiment a bit odd. When given a detailed description, I assume the details matter and try to use them—there’s no option like “Not enough information“

So I wonder how much of the result reflects reasoning errors versus people simply trying to interpret why those details were included.

If you were a participant, which answer would you choose?

Lee LeFever's avatar

Thanks, Natalia. The Linda Experiment strikes me as odd, even if it does make a solid point. It seems to suppose that anyone who applies reason would consider laws of probability. I doubt that many people have the existing knowledge to do that.

Of course, if you take the time to reason through it, the laws are an artifact of a a reality that should be obvious.

The point it makes for me is that people rely heavily on System 1 to make a lot of decisions, even when it’s not logical.

Natalia Goloskokova's avatar

Thanks, Lee. I appreciate your perspective.

I completely agree about the importance of System 1. I come from branding and FMCG category management, where so much happens long before people consciously evaluate products. That’s one of the reasons I’m enjoying this series so much 😌