I see no reason to accept the premise that “fake thinking” can exist. Occam’s razor suggests a simpler interpretation: telling lies.
It would be like saying Tic Tac Toe is not a real game, but chess IS real. Charades is fake, but Darts is real. They are merely different games, requiring different models and operations.
“Rote thinking” is real thinking, applied to simple pattern matching situation.
The concern of the author can be addressed by focusing on the difference between pretense and authenticity. Am I lying to myself? Am I clothing myself in a patina of reason that I intentionally do not complete or repair, because the story soothes me? If so, that’s not necessarily bad or wrong— unless I wish to do my best thinking.
It would be like saying Tic Tac Toe is not a real game, but chess IS real. Charades is fake, but Darts is real. They are merely different games, requiring different models and operations.
“Rote thinking” is real thinking, applied to simple pattern matching situation.
The concern of the author can be addressed by focusing on the difference between pretense and authenticity. Am I lying to myself? Am I clothing myself in a patina of reason that I intentionally do not complete or repair, because the story soothes me? If so, that’s not necessarily bad or wrong— unless I wish to do my best thinking.