So, uh, why did evolution make us agonize over choices at all, if you say they don’t matter? I think they matter. This reminds me of my exchange with Wei:
Why do we divide possible news into “good” and “bad”, and “hope” for good news? Does that serve some useful cognitive function, and if so, how?
About the cognitive function of “hope”: it makes evolutionary sense to become all active and bothered when a big pile of utility hinges on a single uncertain event in the near future, because that makes you frantically try to influence that event.
It seems to me that we agonize over hard choices for a similar reason. A big pile of utility hinges on some uncertainty, and we frantically try to reduce that uncertainty.
So, uh, why did evolution make us agonize over choices at all, if you say they don’t matter? I think they matter. This reminds me of my exchange with Wei:
It seems to me that we agonize over hard choices for a similar reason. A big pile of utility hinges on some uncertainty, and we frantically try to reduce that uncertainty.