December 11, 2017, by apylc3

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…

Another day, another lecture- although thankfully this one was at the much more civilised time of 2PM, rather than 9 AM, which as student is compulsory to complain about. Today’s lecture was on Laurie Paul’s theory of TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES.

Rational vs Irrational:

First,  rational vs irrational decisions and normative decision theory. When facing a dilemma and wanting to make a rational decision, we tend to determine the value of the possible outcomes of each act we might perform. The RATIONAL decision has the highest overall value. The IRRATIONAL decision is choosing that with the lower value. 

Example: Should I get a puppy? 

Imagine you want to get a puppy. You love dogs but you’re worried about the sacrifices you’ll have to make looking after a puppy. You would weigh the value of the pleasure you would get from  the puppy vs how much you value those things you would have to sacrifice. Highest Value= Rational decision. 

 (I may be biased- but get the puppy!)

 

 

Transformative Experiences:

What about TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES where we can’t assign a value?

Example: I am a  marmite lover. However, there is no way of determining whether you are team love or team hate until you have tasted it.

 

Non-Rational Experiences:

If we have no idea about the outcomes and cannot assign value, how can we make a rational decision? We can’t! If an experience is transformative then there is no way of determining the value of the outcomes. We therefore cannot make a rational decision and must determine the case to be NON-RATIONAL.

Example: Going on a rollercoaster for the first time. You will not know how you will feel about going on the ride until you try it yourself. (Although do so at your own risk, I maintain it’s never a good idea!!!!)

 

 

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on LinkedIn