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Excellent Aeon article on randomness in decisionmaking:

http://aeon.co/magazine/philosophy/is-the-most-rational-choi...

When your reasons are worse than useless, sometimes the most rational choice is a random stab in the dark

As moderns, we take it for granted that the best decisions stem from a process of empirical analysis and informed choice, with a clear goal in mind. That kind of decision-making, at least in theory, undergirds the ways that we choose political leaders, play the stock market, and select candidates for schools and jobs. It also shapes the way in which we critique the rituals and superstitions of others. But, as the Kantu’ illustrate, there are plenty of situations when random chance really is your best option. And those situations might be far more prevalent in our modern lives than we generally admit.



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