The Two Witnesses

A Holmes UnLimited Observation

“One day, this will all be worth it.”

This is something we often tell ourselves when today's demands seem justified by tomorrow's rewards.

But what if you're beginning to question that bargain? Or wondering why an experience you remember fondly didn't always feel quite so enjoyable while you were living it?

The Two Witnesses explores Daniel Kahneman's distinction between the Experiencing Self and the Remembering Self - and what happens when the person who lived an experience and the person who later judges it are not quite examining the same evidence.

Clues from this Observation

• Why do some moments survive in memory while others disappear?
• How can the ending of an experience change the verdict we later give it?
• When experience and memory disagree, which witness gets to speak for the whole case?

Follow the Story

A Study in Fear

This investigation has its roots in a family experiment to create a memorable weekend — including a 300-foot bungee jump and the rather inconvenient necessity of having to experience it before it could become a memory.

Follow A Study in Fear →

Read the Written Observation

The written version of The Two Witnesses includes the Investigator's Notes, with links to Kahneman and the research behind this investigation.

Read The Two Witnesses →

Continue through the Observations

Explore the Holmes UnLimited library of Observations - thoughtful investigations into the ideas and thinking tools that help us develop worldly wisdom.

Each stands alone. Follow the questions that interest you, or return to an Observation when a different perspective might be useful.

Explore the Observations →