A Contemporary Approach to Spiritual and Theological Reflection from the Perspective of Kahneman’s System Thinking

Drawing on Daniel Kahneman's concept of System 1 thinking—which includes emotions, dreams, and intuition—this hermeneutical analysis examined 53 texts to explore how such thinking appears in contemporary spiritual and theological reflection. The findings indicate a rise in texts using System 1 thinking in this context, with disciplines outside theology increasingly practicing spiritual reflection as part of spiritual care and also employing System 1 thinking. There is growing awareness and use of diverse cultures and faith experiences, alongside an increase in the demographic of people who are spiritual but not religious, linked to dreams, emotions, and intuition. An overlap between spiritual and theological reflection is also developing.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article explores Daniel Kahneman’s concept of system thinking from his book Thinking Fast and Slow (2013) in the context of contemporary spiritual and theological reflection. The question studied here is: What does the intentional use of emotions, dreams and intuition described by Daniel Kahneman as System 1 thinking look like in contemporary spiritual and theological reflection? According to Kanheman, System 1 thinking includes emotions, dreams and intuition. The method for answering the research question is hermeneutical. This means gathering texts that fit Kahneman’s description of System 1 thinking and integrating these concepts into some form of spiritual and theological reflection. Hermeneutical research is text-based. Fifty-three (53) texts were found in a search of various databases. These texts are analyzed noting the impact of System 1 thinking on spiritual and theological reflection. Findings include the following: First, there is a rise in the number of texts using System 1 thinking in spiritual and theological reflection. Second, disciplines outside of theology are practicing spiritual reflection as part of their spiritual care. Third, these non-theological disciplines are also using System 1 thinking in their spiritual reflections. Fourth, there is an awareness and utilization of diverse cultures and faith experiences in spiritual reflection. Fifth, these texts indicate the growth of the demographic of people who are spiritual but not religious and a connection to dreams, emotions and intuition in spiritual and theological reflection. Sixth, there is also a developing overlap between spiritual and theological reflection. Cautions and gaps in the textual analysis are noted as well as future applications.