Seinan Gakuin University: Economics in 1994
There are few prizes for slowness. In fact I cannot think of any at all. There are many prizes for speed. Getting somewhere faster is important for horses, athletes, and computer designers.
For this reason, to advocate thinking slowly seems unreasonable and strange. The brighter people are always supposed to think quickly. The expression "quick-witted" is a clear contrast of "slow-witted." There are emergencies when we suppose that only quick thinking will save our lives. There are negotiating traps which only the fast thinkers might be able to avoid. Quick thinking followed by a quick reply can turn the tables in the course of a confrontation. A problem may be turned into an opportunity by quick thinking.
We could list many situations in which quick thinking seems to be an obvious advantage. Some of these are not so clear cut. It is estimated that in hotel fires more people are killed as a result of panic reactions than by the fire. That is not a good example of quick thinking.
Thinking slowly does not refer to external time. It is an attitude as much as anything else. The first part of the attitude is to get rid of the idea that thinking fast or being rushed is any sort of advantage. When a youngster is learning to catch a ball he will move his hand towards the catch very soon after the ball has left the hand of the thrower. The catcher may then have to correct the position of his hands when the ball gets nearer. Much later the catcher makes no move at all until the ball gets very close and then makes the minimal effort necessary. For a similar reason, the good batsman seems to have a lot of time while the poor batsman appears to be always rushed.
It is this sort of slowness that I am advocating. Imagine you see a shape in the distance. At once you may jump to some recognition. Alternatively you could list the features you see, almost leisurely, and then acknowledge the different possibilities. The young medical student wants to rush to a diagnosis and the sense of achievement it brings. The more experienced physician lists the signs and symptoms and then works more slowly towards the diagnosis.
Is the advice to think slowly any more than a caution against jumping to conclusions? I believe it is. Thinking slowly means pausing to look backwards at what has been covered instead of just looking forward towards the destination. In short, thinking slowly means extracting the maximum from one's own thinking.
本文の内容と合致するものを４つ選びなさい。
イThe fast thinkers often get trapped in negotiations.
ロQuick thinking is not always advantageous.
ハMore people are estimated to fall victim
to hotel fires than to their panic reactions
to the fires.
ニThinking slowly requires us to stop reviewing
what has happened in the past.
ホBoth a good batsman and an experienced
physician know how to carry out slow thinking.
ヘSlow thinking is more difficult for a physician
to get used to than it is for a youngster
learning to catch a ball.
トThe kind of slow thinking that the author
is advocating allows us to get the most out
of our own thinking.
チQuick thinking always has an advantage
over slow thinking.
リThe poor batsman is always rushed because
he wants to hit the ball as far as he can.
ヌA young medical student quickly lists signs
and symptoms so that he can have more time
for leisure.
ルThe actual length of time that thinking
takes has little to do with whether it results
in proper reactions.
ヲIf we quickly reply to an offer during
a negotiation, we may win a prize.
|
