“Making a list of Pros and Cons” is a very basic step toward rational decision making. Implicit in the method is the idea of assigning weight or utility to each thing on the list, since the idea is to “weigh the outcomes and make a decision”. Throw in probability assignments and quantify the utility estimates instead of doing the weighing in your head and you get an expected utility calculation.
Implicit in the method is the idea of assigning weight or utility to each thing on the list, since the idea is to “weigh the outcomes and make a decision”. Throw in probability assignments and quantify the utility estimates instead of doing the weighing in your head and you get an expected utility calculation.
That, I would say, is a very narrow idea of rational decision-making. Quite impractical one, too.
That, I would say, is a very narrow idea of rational decision-making.
Well, yeah. I did say it was a very basic step, not a fully-vetted rationality method. But making a list of pros and cons is better than making decisions based on emotions or impulse and it’s common enough that almost everyone is familiar with it. And it’s a place to start teaching people how to do it better. The only other non-corporate examples I see here are “making lists” and “nigerian scammers” which are also very basic. I feel like it answered the request which was for “rationality techniques that have already become commonly used in the general population”.
If the general population already had a lot of really good rationality techniques in common use, this wouldn’t be an interesting discussion.
“Making a list of Pros and Cons” is a very basic step toward rational decision making. Implicit in the method is the idea of assigning weight or utility to each thing on the list, since the idea is to “weigh the outcomes and make a decision”. Throw in probability assignments and quantify the utility estimates instead of doing the weighing in your head and you get an expected utility calculation.
That, I would say, is a very narrow idea of rational decision-making. Quite impractical one, too.
Well, yeah. I did say it was a very basic step, not a fully-vetted rationality method. But making a list of pros and cons is better than making decisions based on emotions or impulse and it’s common enough that almost everyone is familiar with it. And it’s a place to start teaching people how to do it better. The only other non-corporate examples I see here are “making lists” and “nigerian scammers” which are also very basic. I feel like it answered the request which was for “rationality techniques that have already become commonly used in the general population”.
If the general population already had a lot of really good rationality techniques in common use, this wouldn’t be an interesting discussion.