Here I want to look more closely than usual at what is involved in reflecting on one's purposes and values, formulating a plan for the medium or long term, and acting in the short term in ways that further the big plan. My topic is "rationality in action", but I want to pay attention to the issues associated with large, extended purposes -- not bounded decisions like buying a house, making a financial investment, or choosing a college. I'm thinking of larger subjects for deliberation -- for example, conquering all of Europe (Napoleon), leading the United States through a war for the Union ( Lincoln), or becoming a committed and active anti-Nazi (Bonhoeffer).Understanding Society
Rationality over the long term
Daniel Little | Chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Professor of Philosophy at UM-Dearborn and Professor of Sociology at UM-Ann Arbor
Setting a goal influences how much weight and importance we place on each opportunity that presents itself. If we take opportunities that we judge will lead to a higher probability of our goal and pass up those that don't, the question is over how much our judgment drives better outcomes versus random chance. So then we look at how different types of judgment, and where they arise. Peer pressure, passed down wisdom, experience and observation have varying degrees of success at predicting the future as compared to luck. And then the wisdom and how much should be sacrificed for the initial goal is itself important.
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