Binary Thinking and its Blind Spots | Greg Reese

In “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” Arendt wrote that “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.”

Daniel Kahneman’s “Dual Process Theory” identifies two cognitive systems of the human mind: System 1 is fast, automatic, and emotional, where as System 2 is slow, deliberate, and logical. You can experience this right now: perform a true/false test and you’ll activate your System 1, perform a multiple-choice test and you’ll activate your System 2.

When the human mind is confronted with binary choices, System 1 handles the decision processing with its automatic emotional response, and it never gets any further analysis.

System 1 goes back to our most basic survival instincts, and it is good for processing binary choices such as fight/flight, edible/toxic, alive/dead, but it is not suitable for processing complex issues. This is what System 2 is for. And it is well known in today’s study of psychology that when the human mind is presented with only two options, the work automatically goes to System 1, and critical thinking is avoided.

The purpose for having these two cognitive systems, is efficiency. Once the brain recognizes a binary choice, it reduces cognitive load to a minimum by sending it to System 1. And when cognitive load is at a minimum, people are even more susceptible to external persuasion and group mind.

The key to successfully controlling people is to keep them in this binary world so that their critical thinking is rarely, if ever, engaged. And this is best done by keeping them emotional. Both anger and fear will do the job. “With us or against us?” - “Patriot or traitor?” - “Support this policy or you want people to die!” are all binary choices used over and over again to keep people anchored in binary thinking, and render them blind.

Published experiments will tell you that when humans are reminded of their mortality, or of any existential threat, they will cling more tightly to their beliefs and their worldview, and become more hostile to those who challenge it. This is why political discourse uses apocalyptic language.

It is understood in psychology that people’s beliefs will strengthen when they are attacked, this is called “attitude entrenchment.”

The human mind is predisposed to categorize people into in-groups and out-groups, to favor in-group members and belittle out-group members in order to elevate their own in-group status. And it is known that it takes very little to activate this tribalism. Some experiments, have used a simple coin flip to steer people towards in-group acceptance. This innate human tribalism has been weaponized through politically constructed binaries that were designed to both divide people, and to make them see the world however the designers want them to.

In “Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes,” Ellul wrote that propaganda works best when it simplifies complex realities into binary choices, because humans crave the cognitive relief of simple answers. And that the most effective propaganda isn’t spreading lies, it is spreading binary frameworks that make certain conclusions appear inevitable.

This binary brainwashing has been going on for generations and for many people, political positions have become their identity. Their social belonging, self-identity, and status are built upon it. And for many, the discomfort of challenging one’s own beliefs and admitting error is too much to handle. It is far more convenient to go with simple binary choices and move with the herd. But if you have any desire for the truth, then you will have to learn to apply critical thinking to everything, and most importantly, learn how your mind is being manipulated.

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