Daniel Kahneman on the power of slow thinking

The ‘godfather of behavioural science’ — and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow — on how we can hone our decision-making skills in a world turned upside down

Josh GlancySunday January 16 2022, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Times

Despite being described by Steven Pinker as “the world’s most influential living psychologist”, Daniel Kahneman hates the idea of being viewed as a guru. His most famous work, the worldwide bestseller Thinking, Fast and Slow, has just turned ten years old and he’s still not entirely sure if he really likes it. Yet as we plunge further into this fractious and confusing era, Kahneman’s steely analysis of the human mind and its many flaws remains perhaps the most useful guide to remaining sane and steady.

I meet the perpetually gruff Nobel prizewinner at the fag end of 2021 — he in his apartment in New York, me a very empty office in London. I want to reflect on his famous book and how it