Thinking and Forest Fires

Thinking Fast, Slow, And Super Slow

David Bessis | 18th December 2025

Appraisal and critique of Daniel Kahneman's theory of cognitive biases, which posits that we have two distinct cognitive systems — one for immediate, instinctive responses and the other for rigorous reasoning. Cognitive biases arise when the first system is “systematically wrong”. His theory overlooks a third system, the bridge between intuition and logic, which is “entirely ignored by our culture” (4,700 words)

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Making Forest Fires Worse

Alex Smith & Elizabeth McCarthy | Breakthrough Journal | 17th December 2025

In the last 14 years, California’s wildfires have raged unchecked, burning 16% of the state’s landmass. The US Forest Service, which contains wildfires by mechanical thinning and prescribed burns, has been hamstrung by a string of lawsuits from one environmentalist. “The problem lies in a system that allows a single person to make decisions that impact millions of people and acres of our ecosystems” (3,100 words)