Logic v. Psyco-Logic

A Note on Terminology:

Effective human communication requires understanding the difference between the two modes of human thinking - “conscious” and “unconscious” – and the way that the two work together. Daniel Kahneman won a Nobel Prize for his work on the subject memorialized in his book, Thinking, Fast and Slow. He identifies them as System 1 (fast) and System 2 (slow). In Hare Brain, Tortious Mind, Guy Claxton uses “intuitive” or “undermind” and “deliberative mode” or “d-mode” for the same.

Jonathan Height memorably uses the metaphor of the Rider and the Elephant; in which the rider thinks that he’s in charge – and is, up to a point. Yet, if the elephant gets spooked, randy or has lively indigestion, it’s going to do what it’s going to do and leave the rider to cook up some post hoc rationalization that he meant to rampage all along.

While colorful, we’ve largely settled on the terminology coined by the brilliant Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Olgily, in his book Alchemy: “logic” and “psyco-logic.” To use his own definition:

“Logic is what makes a successful engineer or mathematician, but psyco-logic is what has made us a successful breed of monkey.”

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