Platonic Dialectic


Jermaine:
I think it's true that the more options I have, the happier I am.

George:
So you would rather eat at a buffet restaurant than one with a fixed menu?

Jermaine:
Yes

George:
And if you were buying a car you would like to test drive as many cars as you could find?

Jermaine:
Well, as many in my price range.

George:
So what really makes you happy is the most relevant options rather than the most options?

Jermaine:
Yeah.

George:
What about when the decision is about what to wear? Would you rather have a dozen shirts or just a couple?

Jermaine:
The more the better, obviously.

George:
So every morning you get up and you spend like 20 minutes trying on shirts?

Jermaine:
Well, once I've decided on which jeans, then I look at the shirts that go with them. So, again, relevant options.

George:
So how do you define relevant?

Jermaine:
Depending on the situation, relevant means any option I think I think I can have. Like, I wouldn't test drive a Bentley because I can't afford one yet, or ponder an orange shirt with blue jeans because that would look crap. So I guess it's not true that the more options I have the happier I am so much as the more relevant options the happier. I don't want to get overwhelmed by choices so I use the idea of relevance to exclude some options.


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