Bias for action…at what cost?

This image is a modern perception of ‘bias for action’ and is extensively used in advertisements. It frames thinking and doing as mutually exclusive tasks. In doing so, it takes a potshot at thinking as an activity.

Why is thinking not popular? Probably because taking time to think delays a decision. In commercial terms, it means the consumer does not ‘buy’ instantaneously, and hence affects the commerce.

But why not consider ‘doing’ as a good thing? Indeed, doing is important, and that is how the world moves. But the point here is to criticize ‘doing without thinking’. The world has many examples of this kind of ‘action without thinking’. The argument is that we can adapt as we go forward with the action. The problem with this approach is that it does not work without a reversibility clause. It works fine for actions that can have reversible consequences. If such a clause is absent, then you are forced to work on new problems that you are not prepared for.

Now go out and observe the world closely…