Re: "Believing What You Don't Believe"

To the editor:

Jane Risen and David Nussbaum (11/1/15, Believing what you don't believe) problematically argue that intuition is at the heart of certain behaviors that are either superstitious in nature (using a lucky charm) or reflect statistically unlikely judgements in decision making (an 'ill timed' sacrifice bunt). They suggest that the 'slow system' for information processing may be able to detect errors without correcting them. 

Emotion is a critical dimension in decision making even at high levels.  It may contribute to tragic outcomes  - look at what's going on in the Middle East - or acts of heroism.  A coach making a high risk call is not making an error; he is introducing an element of surprise into his decision making in an effort to win and to fool his opponent.  As for the lucky charm this too is not an error in thinking.  It is a token that helps create an illusion of power and control (and diminishes our anxiety ) and comes in handy, especially when your team is struggling. What the authors call intuition is the emotional dimension of life from which we cannot divorce ourselves.

Respectfully,

Larry S. Sandberg