Episode 535: The Invisible Water—the Cultural Default of Analytic Thought

Today’s episode examines how analytic reasoning has become the unchallenged, invisible standard within modern educational and psychological institutions. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, utilises a metaphor involving fish and water to illustrate that dominant cultural assumptions about thought are often so pervasive they go completely unnoticed. Whilst traditional systems prioritise a step-by-step cognitive process, Dr. Hoerricks suggests that such a framework is merely one cultural default rather than a universal truth. Consequently, individuals whose systems utilise gestalt or whole-first cognition are frequently mislabeled as having errors or deficiencies in their thinking styles. By identifying these hidden biases, she advocates for viewing different modes of perception as legitimate variations rather than mistakes. This shift in perspective allows for a more inclusive understanding of human intelligence and cultural diversity in mental processing.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-invisible-water-analytic-thoughtLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe