December 12, 2017, by apyagh

Can we really make rational decisions?

 3 Things I learned from Laurie Paul’s lecture

 1. Making a rational decision is simple

First we decide what would be result on the best outcome and make a decision according to our favourite outcome.

If I want to eat Nutella on toast I weigh up the benefits of eating Nutella over opting for a healthier option instead.

I decide that the best outcome will be to eat Nutella rather than eat an apple, as I would prefer to enjoy my toast than be healthy.

Then I choose that option. Simples!

who wants an apple anyway?

But…

 

2. Not all decisions are that simple

How can I make a decision if I’ve never tried something before?

That’s where it gets a bit tricky. If we have no experience to base our decision on then how can we make a decision to do it?

If I’ve never been skiing before how do know if I will like it? I’ve never even done any snow sports before so I don’t even have anything similar to compare it to.

If I did go skiing I’m sure it would turn out something like this.

So…

 

3. Sometimes we can’t always make rational decisions

Sorry folks, even though we think we can make a rational, well thought out decision for everything, it turns out we can’t.

What do we do if we can’t make rational decisions?

Well, if you’ve never tried something before and you’re thinking about whether it’s a good idea for you to try it, you can take comfort in knowing you can’t know whether it’s a good idea or not!

Neither can anyone else!

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