I proposed a brain system 3 which task it is to keep system 1 and system 2 in check. Although that was partly with tongue in cheek, there is a point I want to make.
We might identify ourselves with one of the two systems. But observation seems to reveal that both systems have a lot in common. In a sense they both work the same way.
System 1 handles everything that happens in the now. Hence it must be fast. The future and the past is meaningless for system 1.
While system 2 is able to handle the future and the past. Of course there can't be no hurry in handling the future or the past.
Both systems work on the same level and in the same way. They are part of Manas. Manas is a Sanskrit word which is not so easy to translate. Manas often indicates the general thinking faculty. It is characterized by activity of the mind.
Manas offers the results of his activity to the Buddhi, which is the center of discrimination, of judgement. If Buddhi is awake, he decides on whether the results are usable or rejects them. If he is asleep, Manas keeps on playing and retrieving without any judgement. That is how you end up in a tunnel. For system 1 that tunnel is endless repetition of trial and error that is going nowhere, for system 2 that is an endless creation of word salads until the cows come home. Have a look at this blog to get an idea what I am talking about.
The bad joke of GM Bent Larsen may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It showed me how to guide system 1. Tell system 1 to look for a positional clue which isn't there and he wastes 2 hours because he doesn't know when to stop. Tell him to look for a mate in 3 and he finds the solution in 20 seconds.
I hypothesize that it works the same way for system 2.
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