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1. Choice
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/
1.1 What are the conditions for choices?
Broadly speaking, on any path forward, we can choose from:
| Condition | Choice path |
|---|---|
| Placid | Random |
| 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 | →→ | ||
| Strategy | Placid | Placid-clustered | Disturbed-reactive | Turbulent field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 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 | ✓ |
1.2 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.
1.3 What is the context for the choice?
We make choices in context. We shape contexts.
Contexts can change.