See this man? His work is your friend.
Daniel Kahneman’s *Thinking, Fast and Slow* is one of the most impactful work written in psychology. It paints a picture of the mind as having two distinct systems:
System 1 (Fast Thinking): Your intuitive, automatic, largely unconscious mode. It’s the master of snap judgments, pattern recognition, and habits. Think driving a familiar route or understanding this sentence.
System 2 (Slow Thinking): Your deliberate, effortful, conscious mode. This is your problem-solver, your logician, the one that wrestles with complex tasks. Think solving a tough equation or learning a new programming language.
TRADITIONAL CODING
Before AI, the heavy lifting was done by your System 2 (Rational analytic). Plan the concept, design the algorithms, wrote code line-by-line, debug, and test.
Every step demanded focused effort, logical reasoning, and a deep knowledge of programming’s intricacies. Sure, your intuition (System 1) chipped in – recognizing familiar patterns, recalling snippets – but it was mostly System 2 running the show.
VIBE CODING
With AI coders, the lifting is (ideally) mostly done by your System 1. (Intuition). You are not coding anymore. The AI is doing that.
So, instead of getting bogged down in the *implementation* details, you express your vision: “Create a login form with email and password fields.”
Then, you dive into the *vibe*, the *flow* of the coding process. You’re not laser-focused on every semicolon; you’re taking a backseat, observing, guiding, and letting your intuition lead.
A new form of cognitive processing
AI coding assistants are fundamentally changing how we approach programming. The ideal scenario is easy to imagine.
THE AI CODER: Handles the nitty-gritty: code generation, automated debugging, and boilerplate. Frees you from the tedious, detail-oriented tasks. It’s the *how* to your *what*.
YOU: Guide the AI with natural language prompts, rely on intuition and a high-level understanding of the project. This enables rapid iteration, sparks creative exploration, and (ideally) leads to a “flow state.”
(Finally throwing my rationality through the IDE window)
The essence of Vibe Coding, from a sane cognitive perspective, is not about *eliminating* your rationality and delegating that completely to the AI. Instead, it’s all about *repositioning* it. You’re not ditching conscious thought; you’re applying it *differently*.
Workflow example
Before coding: Use your conscious mind to really understand the problem you are trying to solve with your software. Think it through! The more effort you put in here, the smoother the ride. Write a precise and elaborate description (a blue print). Write a prompt based on this blueprint (improve it with AI). Feed the prompt and cross your fingers.
During Coding: Enter into the flow. Follow your intuition. Stay in the zone, watching, ready to course-correct.
After coding: System 2 steps back in. You’re evaluating the output, setting the overall direction, defining high-level goals, comparing results.
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