The Physiology of Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow

Daniel Kahneman talks about two distinct processes taking place in the brain. Thinking fast, and thinking slow. One process is internal, intrinsic, such as reflexes, visual processing etc. Another is slow and deliberate, memory recollection, mental math etc.

While reading his book, Thinking Fast and Slow, it dawned on me that in the brain we have two distinct networks that communicate with one another. A neural network which science has already established to be fast (milliseconds) and not apparently under voluntary control, and an astrocyte network which we now well know to be slow (seconds) and kludgy. We have yet to discover any underlying neural mechanics directly associated with things like slow conscious thought. Perhaps the slow astrocyte networks may have some answers. It receives input and stimuli from the fast neural network, and is then able to send signals back to it.

This requires more thought. Infact, the whole notion could likely be debunked with some carefully crafted thought experiments about cognitive properties we know to exist. Regardless it is an appealing notion. I leave it here for posterity.