Chapter 2

Hess describes how we create stories to define the world around us. These stories become the foundation of an "operating system" that drives and informs our behavior. Essentially, it is how we define the world around us. However, our operating system or "mental models" are influenced by our emotions and conscience meaning we are not all right. Also, our ego defense systems clouds our judgement as we work to fit everything into the definitions we create for how the world works. Hess explains the theory of system 1 and system 2 thinking. System 1 thinking is described by our instinctual, reflexive thinking and system 2 as our deliberate and reflective thinking. He argues that we are confirmation-bias learners. To be efficient, we want to make new experience fit into our existing mental models. This makes learning difficult. I agree that a conscious approach to learning is important to avoid our "auto-pilot" approach. Developing skills such as mindfullness can make us better learners. Much of this aligns with what we have learned in AET. It is important to seek evidence and rational argument over seeking information that simply confirms our assumptions. To do this, we have to accept being wrong. In otehr words, Hess argues, we have to "overcome our humanness." Like anything else, to improve learning we have to practice and "learn how to learn."