Decision Making and Buridan’s Ass

Decision Making and Buridan's Ass

Buridan's ass is the common name for the paradox which states that an entirely rational ass, placed exactly in the middle between two stacks of hay of equal size and quality, will starve since it cannot make any rational decision to start eating one rather than the other. The paradox is named after the 14th century French philosopher Jean Buridan. (wikipedia.org. 2006.)

I love the idea of a decision making model where everything sucks. I enjoy the thought of making decisions based on the simple idea of which options sucks less than the others. How many times in life have we as humans been PARALYZED with an inability to act because we weren't sure if we were getting the BEST deal possible? Why do people let themselves completely miss an opportunity and wind up empty handed instead of take it for all that it is worth and focus on the next success? All rhetorical questions, but all equally thought provoking.

I was recently faced with a large decision in my professional life. I was working in the best job I ever had; NASA. I worked with my best friend in the middle of nowhere. I had my own house and lots of delinquent friends to share it with. I also had a wonderful girl who lived a very long ways away. I had interviewed for and received several job offers. Some paid quite well, while others offered great benefits. I was beset with great things left and right and was unsure of what step to take, so I based my decision on which options were least desirable. Now I work for the Apollo Group, Inc.

Buridan's Ass decision model is one of many popular methods for coming to a decision about something. Other types of popular methods include the T-chart: pro vs. con, and PMI: plus, minus, and interesting. (Harris, 2003) The Buridan's Ass method is generally see as a follow-up to either of these decision models as it is generally used when trying to decide between two or more equally positive options. This implies that one has already identified the positives of any choices at hand, and been unable to make a decision based on the merits of any given choice.

Correctly utilizing this decision making model is surprisingly easy. One simply needs a discerning eye for the negative. The first step is deciding what your options are. Second, what are the drawbacks of each option? Third, which one is the lesser of the evils? Human beings are surprisingly naturally talented in picking out the negative in any given situation.