manuscript:choice [BothPlusMore]

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======1. Choice ======

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<WRAP third column leftalign>Choice is defined, in the Oxford Dictionaries Online, as: 

1. An act of choosing between two or more possibilities". 

1.1 [mass noun] The right or ability to choose.

1.2 A range of possibilities from which one or more may be chosen.

1.3 A thing or person which is chosen.

"What does choice look like in today's world?" | Krystal D'Costa | May 3, 2016 | Scientific American at https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/what-does-choice-look-like-in-today-s-world/

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===== 1.1 What are the conditions for choices? =====

Broadly speaking, on any path forward, we can choose from:

^ Condition                       ^ Choice path  ^
| Placid-clustered environment    | Best!        |
| Disturbed-reactive environment  | Both~        |
| Turbulent fields                | More?        |

If time only moves one direction, we may never know the results of a path not chosen.  If we don't choose, the choices may be made for us.

===== 1.2 What if there's a mismatch between conditions and choice paths? =====

Collapse?

|            |                                             ←← | Environment                           |  →→                                       |
^ Heuristic  ^  Placid-clustered                              ^  Disturbed-reactive                   ^ Turbulent field                           ^
| Best       | ✓                                              | Can be pre-empted by competitors      | Can be decimated by external factors      |
| Both       | Wastes resources through misplaced suspicions  | ✓                                     | Can be damaged by other parties flailing  |
| More       | Raises questions on value of integration       | May be betrayed by alliance partners  | ✓                                         |

===== 1.3 Choose as an individual; or choose with a group? =====

Each human being may be part of a family, a community, and/or a nation.  Human beings have free will.

^             |             | Group                                                                                                  ||
|             |             | Acquiesce                                     | Co-respond                                              |
| Individual  | Acquiesce   | Satisfied with status quo, or Blind to flaws  | Majority rules.  May limit minority privileges          |
|             | Co-respond  | Hero if successful.  Patsy if failure         | Mutual benefit if succesful.  Shared misery if failure  |

Random could result in consequences (which could be unintended, or unfortunate).  May not be able to determine consequences.

Results tend to be analytically understandable, consequences tend to be systemic (and generally scary).  People will avoid talking about consequences.

Analytic solutions in search of systemic problems.

Sins of omission are not evil?  Only since of commission are evil?

For the Greeks, good governance allowed the option of choice, even if it wasn't taken.  Shutting down choices causes uprisings.

Representation versus direct democracy (e.g. American governance c.f. Swiss governance)

===== 1.3 What is the context for the choice? =====

We make choices in context.  We shape contexts.

Contexts can change.