Thin Slices

11-5-12

What is meant by "reading thin slices"?

"Reading thin slices" is basically saying how sometimes too much pressure is placed on appearances that individuals are blind to everything else. For example, Warren Harding was thought of as a very attractive man. Most people thought that he should become president because, "he looked like he would make a good president". Basically, people only take a quick glance at something and jump to conclusions instead of looking more deeply below the surface.

Explain intuitive expertise.

Intuitive expertise is basically how people rely on their "gut feelings" or their intuition to make decisions and to develop opinions. Intuitive Expertise can sometimes be a good thing, but can also be a bad thing. For example, if you are out on the street at night and a group of tall dark men start walking toward you, you are most likely going to be scared. Therefore, you are most likely to rely on you intuitive expertise, and you are going to judge the situation as a dangerous one, and you are going to run away to protect yourself. However, sometimes intuitive expertise can get you into more trouble that you started with. For example, President Bush had the "gut feeling" or the intuitive expertise that the US needed to go to war with Iraq. He felt in his gut that something was wrong and that we needed to do something about it. However, his intuitive expertise turned out to be incorrect, and ended up starting a war that was not even necessary in the first place. In conclusion, intuitive expertise can be a good tool to to help you, but you must use is carefully and wisely.

What are the perils of relying on intuition?

There are several perils of relying on intuition. Sometimes, you can develope the intutiion that something is true/ false or that something is wrong/ alright, and you end up being wrong. Sometimes, when you rely on your intuition, you jump to conclusions and therefore, you might jump to the wrong conclusion. Relying on intuition can destroy a friendship, ruin a career, and much more. It is better to thinnk things through before developing an opinion.

Is intuition a fair justification for mistakes made in decision-making? Give reasons and examples to support your answer
Yes, intuition is a fair justification for mistakes that are made in decision-making. Sometimes, when you rely on your intuition and you jump to the wrong clonclusions about something or about someone, and therefore when it comes time to make decisions about something, you make mistakes because you jumped to the wrong conclusions at the start. For example, if you meet someone for the first time, and your intuition tells you that this person is bad news, when it comes time for you to make a decision on what you want to do about the person, you might make a mistake and make the wrong decision.