December 13, 2017, by apynk
Do we always make the right decisions?
This morning I went to a lecture which explored a paper by Laurie Paul on transformative experiences. Her paper has widened my view towards how well humanity are able to make decisions.
How do we make rational decisions?
A rational decision is one that is straight forward for Paul. We weigh up the values of the different potential decisions we are pondering to take. The option with the highest value is our rational decision.
For example, shall I eat the entire cake to myself? I want to, but is that rational?
Eat the cake = short-term happiness (cake is yummy).
Don’t eat the cake = short-term hunger and temptation, but I will be sticking to my long-term diet plan.
The long-term happiness suggests that the rational decision is to not eat the cake.
Surprisingly, the irrational decision is the decision chosen with the lowest value appointed e.g. to eat the cake.
Can life-changing decisions ever be made rationally?
Paul stresses the important of experience, particularly those that can shape us as individuals. For example, you may believe that when the time comes, you will know if you should have a child.
In reality, all you know is preconceived notions of what people believe/think having a baby will be like.
To have your own child is a transformative experience; an experience that will transform you in a way that changes what you know about yourself. 
Experiences that transform you result in non-rational decisions; judgement cannot be passed as the valuable outcomes are unpredictable. These are not difficult decisions, but impossible ones.
The key difference:
Rational and irrational decisions do not involve transformative experiences in the outcome.
When you feel indecisive over an important, life-changing matter, remember that experiencing it for yourself can be the only way to determine your own personal outcome. These decisions are non-rational.
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