We're Losing the Ability to Think Deeply

We are living in a time where deep thinking is disappearing. It's not necessarily anyone's fault; rather, it's because the world keeps expanding. We live in a world where everything needs to be faster and more abundant. The world is becoming increasingly complex, the amount of information pouring in every day is growing exponentially, and the pace of everything is accelerating.

The way we currently respond in order to survive in this time is to speed up ourselves as well. This creates a kind of upward spiral. Because the world is moving so fast, everyone tries to keep up with that speed, making the world even faster. I feel a bit nauseous actually.

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Imagine this: one day, you find yourself standing in the middle of a bustling, crowded square. But everything around you is in complete chaos. People are frantically running in the same direction, as if something is chasing them from behind.

How would you act in such a situation? You'd probably start running too, because you're scared. You'd try to outrun at least one more person by running faster and faster because you're anxious. There's no time to contemplate which direction to run, or even if you should run at all, or what's really happening right now. Would it be too much of an exaggeration if I say that we live in such an era?

When we become impatient and anxious, we enter "survival mode." In survival mode, our brains are incapable of long-term and deep thinking because immediate survival becomes paramount. We are trapped in chronic short-term thinking. We are stuck in chronic impatience and anxiety.

Exploring Oneself

On the other hand, the only way to break free from short-term thinking and cultivate deeper thoughts is by asking questions. By posing questions once or twice, we build the depth of our thinking, and by asking three or four times, we learn to view things from other perspectives.

Therefore, the process of exploring oneself is inevitably slow. It demands deep thinking. Thoughts that are handed to us unquestioned are only shallow. They can be easily refuted and swept away because they haven't taken root firmly within us.

A More Fundamental Cause

When discussing "What is the purpose of education?", many educational philosophers' names would come to mind, but one of the main purposes of education, as I (Heuton) see it, is to create individuals who are autonomous, independent, and capable of thinking for themselves in this society.

But have we truly been trained through the multiple years of education to become better individuals, to focus on our inner selves, to deeply explore ourselves, to establish our own value systems, and to develop our own criteria for making significant life choices?

Through the education we receive from elementary to middle to high school, we are taught basic knowledge to survive and thrive in society, along with mechanical training for further higher education. After entering university, we receive career training to secure better jobs.

We were always told to learn faster and memorize more than others. From my direct and indirect experiences, it seems that our education essentially ends there. However, for those of us who live as the sole protagonists of our lives, training to focus on our inner selves is absolutely necessary.

But as mentioned earlier, this process is inevitably slow. It requires deep thinking. Unlike our education system, we can't linearly evaluate it. Where can objective evaluation criteria be found when trying to find our own answers?

Our lives are too precious to sacrifice it to speed and quantity. This is also why we must constantly ask ourselves questions. Without questions, our thoughts cannot deepen.

People on the Other Side of Cynicism

The sad truth is that we are surrounded by cynics. This is also why it's not easy to bring up serious topics when talking with people. But cynicism is the act of those who refuse to think deeply. Reflection, effort, love, hope, meaning, value—whatever the subject may be, cynics just scoff without deeply contemplating them. How simple is that? Cynicism is the easy path.

One of my heroes during my high school years (and still is), Jim Kim, former President of the World Bank, said:

"Cynicism is the last refuge of cowards."

Robert Greene, author of The Laws of Human Nature, also states that cynics act as if their attitude is cool and stylish. According to him, they exude a blasé and mocking demeanor to appear as if they understand everything.

However, the true nature of cynicism is childish fear. It’s merely an attempt to hide the fear of trying something and failing, of becoming a laughingstock. To borrow Robert Greene’s words, cynicism "stems purely from laziness and offers no consolation to those who believe in it for having achieved nothing."

Heuton is a space for those who stand on the opposite side of cynicism.

Putting Together Puzzle Pieces

Deep thinking is like solving a puzzle. It’s the process of finding and fitting together pieces of ourselves that we hadn’t yet discovered. As we piece them together, we complete a large and detailed picture of ourselves—this is the process of reflection. Of course, as time passes, the details of the picture may change slightly, or the picture itself may become larger. All of this is evidence of our growth.

However, in a world where speed and quantity are worshipped as the highest values, it feels like there’s a competition to collect as many puzzle pieces as possible. Whether these pieces are mine or someone else’s doesn't seem to matter. Without thinking about fitting them together one by one, everyone just tries to collect as many as they can, as quickly as possible. How would the overall picture look like when you complete the pieces?

Heuton is a place to put together the puzzle. It’s a place to find parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed. Just like a scientist exploring uncharted territories in the universe, Heuton is a place to explore the unseen areas within yourself. Through this, you can deeply understand yourself and ultimately live a life that truly reflects who you are. Heuton aims to fulfill that role.

Technology + Philosophy = ?

Many users of Heuton believe that true depth of thought can be achieved through reflection with good questions. You can usually ask questions about yourself, on your own, but you can also discover parts of yourself you didn’t know through questions posed by someone who knows you very well. With the advent of the AI era, we are living in a world where this is possible for everyone—literally, anyone with the will can experience it.

Heuton is a space where you can engage in solitary reflection and record your thoughts in response to highly-personalized questions posed by AI. It’s a place to continuously converse with yourself. You can peek into what others are thinking. Heuton is created for those who understand the value of deep thinking.

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Combining technology and philosophy to help more people explore their identities—that is the reason Heuton exists, in this world where deep thinking is fading away.