Human beings have evolved two distinct systems for processing information. The first, the explicit system, is rule-based, can be expressed verbally, and is tied to conscious awareness. When the prefrontal cortex is fired up, the explicit system is usually turned on. But when the cold calculus of logic is swapped out for the gut sense of intuition, this is the implicit system at work. This system relies on skill and experience, is not consciously accessible, and cannot be described verbally (i.e., try to explain a hunch). These two systems are often described as “conscious” versus
...more