If Kant and Nietzsche read Annie Duke's "How to Decide"

Annie Duke's book "How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices" offers valuable insights on decision-making, emphasizing the importance of being aware of biases and focusing on the methodology rather than the outcome. However, Duke's perspective does not fully address the limited time we have as individuals. When it comes to major life-changing decisions, we often only have one opportunity to make them. This limitation means that we cannot rely on making the same choices repeatedly to benefit from the law of large numbers. Duke argues that the quality of a decision should not be judged solely by its outcome; instead, the methodology used in making the decision is more significant. By consistently applying good decision-making methods, we can expect better results in the long run. But our life might be too short to wait for the "long run"!

Immanuel Kant, a renowned philosopher, had a similar perspective in his moral philosophy, as he once said, "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law." Kant believed that people should make choices based on moral principles, which he referred to as maxims. These maxims should be universally applicable, regardless of the specific circumstances or potential outcomes. Kant's moral philosophy might offer a solution to Duke's dilemma. By focusing on the moral principles guiding our decisions, rather than the outcomes, we can make better choices even when we face unique, high-stakes situations: we do what we should do, what we have to do!

We can even go beyond Kan to Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche introduced the concept of the eternal recurrence of the same, a provocative idea that suggests we are doomed to repeat our lives endlessly in a cyclical universe. It is like our reality is a virtual reality (VR) game in which we play again and again. By confronting the possibility that our lives will recur infinitely, we have to live in a manner that we would be willing to repeat eternally: we take responsibility for our choices and live with purpose, as we must face the consequences of our decisions in each recurring cycle. In this game, our goal is not merely to achieve the best possible outcomes but to learn and grow spiritually by understanding the nature of the game itself. By adopting this mental model, we can accept the results of our decisions, regardless of whether they are good or bad, as each outcome contributes to our overall growth and understanding of the game.

If you want to learn how to decide, start with Duke, then go to Kant and Nietzsche.

Make the decision seriously, but don't take the outcome too seriously.