Binary Thinking

Many decisions are binary: should we wear a face mask or not? We discuss how this might affect our thinking more broadly and whether it drives polarisation.

This podcast investigates binary thinking, looking at why and in what situations we have a tendency to think in absolute terms. We debate the advantages and pitfalls associated with binary thinking, and consider whether some of us are better at handling ambiguity and uncertainty than others. Finally, we discuss ways of managing our own and others’ binary thinking. Does that sound interesting - yes, or no?

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:
- Cognitive Engineering Podcast: Polarisation
https://soundcloud.com/aleph-insights/polarisation
- Ambiguity intolerance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambiguity_tolerance%E2%80%93intolerance
- What drives ambiguity intolerance: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/tolerance-of-ambiguity
- Ambiguity intolerance and politics https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcpy.1176
- Hofstede’s cultural dimensions: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/
- Three types of Binary Thinking, Spenser Greenberg https://www.clearerthinking.org/single-post/2020/06/23/Learn-the-three-types-of-binary-thinking
- Rhetological Fallacies, Information is Beautiful, David McCandless https://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/rhetological-fallacies/

Find more Cognitive Engineering episodes here https://link.chtbl.com/SQeIgc44