Choice

When I got to the point where I was supposed to write a dissertation in my PhD program, I felt I should remember what had interested me and read in those topics widely.  I settled on decision making.  What topic, what book, what movie, what food, what woman to ask out, what, which…

I had heard many times about listing pros and cons.  I learned that Ben Franklin had a system of listing and then striking out a pro along with a con or several that seemed of equal weight.  I was suspicious of the concept of equal weight determined by opinion or some sort of judgment or sense.  That was in 1967 and 68.  

Much later, I learned that I could look up a question or a decision in Google Search or Duckduckgo and find inspiration and aspects of the matter from the output that showed related questions that others had asked.  This reminds me of what happened with Storyworth, one of several programs that asked me questions about my life history.  That company emphasized that I could alter their questions to better suit me but I found that forcing myself to answer their questions led to new and very worthwhile memories and insights into my life.

I am certainly not original in finding that others' comments, reactions and ideas assist me in thinking and exploring.  That is true for any sort of thinking and exploring.