[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.82,0:00:04.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Think of a hard choice\Nyou'll face in the near future.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.39,0:00:06.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It might be between two careers --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.24,0:00:07.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,artist and accountant --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.29,0:00:10.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or places to live --\Nthe city or the country --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.12,0:00:12.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or even between two people to marry --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.02,0:00:15.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you could marry Betty\Nor you could marry Lolita.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.57,0:00:19.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or it might be a choice\Nabout whether to have children,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.59,0:00:21.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to have an ailing parent move in with you,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.96,0:00:25.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to raise your child in a religion\Nthat your partner lives by
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.20,0:00:26.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but leaves you cold.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.24,0:00:30.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or whether to donate\Nyour life savings to charity.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.62,0:00:33.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chances are, the hard choice\Nyou thought of was something big,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.56,0:00:36.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something momentous,\Nsomething that matters to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.76,0:00:39.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hard choices seem to be occasions
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.05,0:00:42.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for agonizing, hand-wringing,\Nthe gnashing of teeth.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.07,0:00:46.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I think we've\Nmisunderstood hard choices
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.16,0:00:48.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the role they play in our lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.25,0:00:50.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Understanding hard choices
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.16,0:00:53.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,uncovers a hidden power\Neach of us possesses.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.97,0:00:58.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What makes a choice hard\Nis the way the alternatives relate.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.91,0:01:00.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In any easy choice,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.38,0:01:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one alternative is better than the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.91,0:01:04.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a hard choice,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.40,0:01:06.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one alternative is better in some ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.96,0:01:09.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the other alternative\Nis better in other ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.18,0:01:11.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and neither is better\Nthan the other overall.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.73,0:01:16.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You agonize over whether to stay\Nin your current job in the city
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.00,0:01:21.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or uproot your life\Nfor more challenging work in the country,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.48,0:01:23.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because staying is better in some ways,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.70,0:01:25.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moving is better in others,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.33,0:01:28.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and neither is better\Nthan the other overall.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.37,0:01:32.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We shouldn't think\Nthat all hard choices are big.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.02,0:01:35.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's say you're deciding\Nwhat to have for breakfast.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.65,0:01:38.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You could have high fiber bran cereal
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.53,0:01:39.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or a chocolate donut.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.20,0:01:43.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Suppose what matters in the choice\Nis tastiness and healthfulness.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.56,0:01:46.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The cereal is better for you,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.83,0:01:48.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the donut tastes way better,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.01,0:01:51.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but neither is better\Nthan the other overall,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.24,0:01:52.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a hard choice.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.35,0:01:57.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Realizing that small choices\Ncan also be hard,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.37,0:02:00.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,may make big hard choices\Nseem less intractable.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.56,0:02:04.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After all, we manage to figure out\Nwhat to have for breakfast,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.49,0:02:07.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so maybe we can figure out\Nwhether to stay in the city
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.65,0:02:09.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or uproot for the new job in the country.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.79,0:02:16.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We also shouldn't think\Nthat hard choices are hard
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.36,0:02:17.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because we are stupid.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.69,0:02:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I graduated from college,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.63,0:02:24.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I couldn't decide between two careers,\Nphilosophy and law.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.16,0:02:26.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I really loved philosophy.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.60,0:02:30.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are amazing things\Nyou can learn as a philosopher,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.58,0:02:33.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all from the comfort of an armchair.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.11,0:02:36.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I came from a modest immigrant family
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.01,0:02:38.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where my idea of luxury
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.48,0:02:40.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was having a pork tongue\Nand jelly sandwich
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.99,0:02:42.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in my school lunchbox,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.23,0:02:45.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the thought of spending my whole life
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.62,0:02:48.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sitting around in armchairs\Njust thinking ...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.34,0:02:52.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, that struck me as the height\Nof extravagance and frivolity.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.36,0:02:55.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I got out my yellow pad,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.13,0:02:57.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I drew a line down the middle,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.03,0:02:59.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I tried my best\Nto think of the reasons
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.46,0:03:02.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for and against each alternative.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.20,0:03:05.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember thinking to myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.41,0:03:09.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if only I knew what my life\Nin each career would be like.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.43,0:03:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If only God or Netflix would send me a DVD\Nof my two possible future careers,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.44,0:03:17.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd be set.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.64,0:03:19.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd compare them side by side,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.56,0:03:21.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd see that one was better,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.49,0:03:23.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the choice would be easy.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.87,0:03:25.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I got no DVD,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.98,0:03:28.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and because I couldn't\Nfigure out which was better,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.84,0:03:31.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I did what many of us do in hard choices:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.58,0:03:33.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I took the safest option.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.47,0:03:38.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Fear of being an unemployed philosopher\Nled me to become a lawyer,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.26,0:03:43.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as I discovered,\Nlawyering didn't quite fit.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.61,0:03:45.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It wasn't who I was.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.89,0:03:47.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So now I'm a philosopher,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.53,0:03:49.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I study hard choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.49,0:03:52.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I can tell you,\Nthat fear of the unknown,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.84,0:03:57.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while a common motivational default\Nin dealing with hard choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.96,0:04:00.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rests on a misconception of them.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.50,0:04:03.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a mistake to think\Nthat in hard choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.46,0:04:06.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one alternative\Nreally is better than the other,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.48,0:04:08.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we're too stupid to know which,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.46,0:04:09.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and since we don't know which,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.93,0:04:12.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we might as well take\Nthe least risky option.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.82,0:04:15.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even taking two alternatives side by side
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.21,0:04:18.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with full information,\Na choice can still be hard.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.10,0:04:24.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hard choices are hard\Nnot because of us or our ignorance;
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.18,0:04:27.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're hard because there\Nis no best option.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.23,0:04:31.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, if there's no best option,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.18,0:04:35.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if the scales don't tip in favor\Nof one alternative over another,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.06,0:04:38.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then surely the alternatives\Nmust be equally good.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.80,0:04:42.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So maybe the right thing\Nto say in hard choices
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.09,0:04:44.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that they're\Nbetween equally good options.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.77,0:04:45.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that can't be right.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.96,0:04:49.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If alternatives are equally good,\Nyou should just flip a coin between them,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.90,0:04:52.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it seems a mistake to think,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.33,0:04:54.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,here's how you should\Ndecide between careers,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.91,0:04:56.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,places to live, people to marry:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.50,0:04:57.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Flip a coin.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.16,0:05:00.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's another reason for thinking
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.89,0:05:04.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that hard choices aren't choices\Nbetween equally good options.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.06,0:05:09.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Suppose you have a choice\Nbetween two jobs:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.74,0:05:12.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you could be an investment banker
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.71,0:05:14.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or a graphic artist.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.22,0:05:18.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are a variety of things\Nthat matter in such a choice,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.04,0:05:20.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like the excitement of the work,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.62,0:05:22.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,achieving financial security,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.38,0:05:24.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having time to raise a family, and so on.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.75,0:05:29.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe the artist's career\Nputs you on the cutting edge
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.21,0:05:31.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of new forms of pictorial expression.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.05,0:05:34.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe the banking career\Nputs you on the cutting edge
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.87,0:05:37.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of new forms of financial manipulation.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.01,0:05:39.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.62,0:05:42.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Imagine the two jobs however you like,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.58,0:05:44.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so that neither is better than the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.70,0:05:48.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now suppose we improve one of them, a bit.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.67,0:05:50.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Suppose the bank, wooing you,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.61,0:05:54.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,adds 500 dollars a month to your salary.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.43,0:05:55.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Does the extra money
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.81,0:05:59.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,now make the banking job\Nbetter than the artist one?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.94,0:06:02.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not necessarily.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.05,0:06:07.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A higher salary makes the banking job\Nbetter than it was before,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.18,0:06:08.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it might not be enough
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.82,0:06:12.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make being a banker\Nbetter than being an artist.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.30,0:06:17.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if an improvement in one of the jobs\Ndoesn't make it better than the other,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.79,0:06:21.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then the two original jobs\Ncould not have been equally good.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.81,0:06:24.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you start with two things\Nthat are equally good,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.23,0:06:25.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you improve one of them,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.60,0:06:27.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it now must be better than the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.65,0:06:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's not the case\Nwith options in hard choices.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.39,0:06:34.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So now we've got a puzzle.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.76,0:06:37.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've got two jobs.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.39,0:06:40.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Neither is better than the other,\Nnor are they equally good.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.53,0:06:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how are we supposed to choose?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.96,0:06:46.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Something seems to have gone wrong here.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.30,0:06:52.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe the choice itself is problematic,\Nand comparison is impossible.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.18,0:06:55.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that can't be right.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.75,0:06:59.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not like we're trying to choose\Nbetween two things that can't be compared.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.23,0:07:03.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're weighing the merits\Nof two jobs, after all,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.14,0:07:06.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not the merits of the number nine\Nand a plate of fried eggs.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.05,0:07:11.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A comparison of the overall\Nmerits of two jobs
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.42,0:07:13.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is something we can make,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.33,0:07:15.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and one we often do make.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.41,0:07:19.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think the puzzle arises
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.49,0:07:23.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of an unreflective assumption\Nwe make about value.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.100,0:07:29.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We unwittingly assume that values\Nlike justice, beauty, kindness,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.01,0:07:35.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are akin to scientific quantities,\Nlike length, mass and weight.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.25,0:07:40.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take any comparative question\Nnot involving value,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.36,0:07:43.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such as which of two suitcases is heavier.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.91,0:07:46.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are only three possibilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.65,0:07:51.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The weight of one is greater, lesser\Nor equal to the weight of the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.60,0:07:55.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Properties like weight can be\Nrepresented by real numbers --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.80,0:07:57.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one, two, three and so on --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.76,0:08:00.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there are only\Nthree possible comparisons
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.85,0:08:02.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between any two real numbers.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.24,0:08:06.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One number is greater, lesser,\Nor equal to the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.48,0:08:10.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not so with values.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.44,0:08:13.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As post-Enlightenment creatures,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.29,0:08:15.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we tend to assume
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.26,0:08:20.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that scientific thinking holds the key\Nto everything of importance in our world,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.05,0:08:24.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the world of value\Nis different from the world of science.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.64,0:08:28.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The stuff of the one world\Ncan be quantified by real numbers.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.25,0:08:30.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The stuff of the other world can't.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.71,0:08:35.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We shouldn't assume that the world of is,\Nof lengths and weights,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.01,0:08:38.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has the same structure\Nas the world of ought,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.94,0:08:40.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of what we should do.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:40.90,0:08:42.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if what matters to us --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.01,0:08:46.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a child's delight, the love\Nyou have for your partner —
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.55,0:08:49.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can't be represented by real numbers,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.38,0:08:51.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then there's no reason to believe
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.34,0:08:55.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that in choice, there are only\Nthree possibilities --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.18,0:08:59.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that one alternative is better,\Nworse or equal to the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.46,0:09:04.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need to introduce\Na new, fourth relation
Dialogue: 0,0:09:04.73,0:09:08.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,beyond being better, worse or equal,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.37,0:09:11.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that describes what's going on\Nin hard choices.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.96,0:09:14.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I like to say that\Nthe alternatives are "on a par."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.15,0:09:17.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When alternatives are on a par,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.08,0:09:20.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it may matter very much which you choose,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.46,0:09:23.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but one alternative\Nisn't better than the other.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.40,0:09:27.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rather, the alternatives are\Nin the same neighborhood of value,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.81,0:09:29.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the same league of value,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.88,0:09:34.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while at the same time\Nbeing very different in kind of value.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.44,0:09:36.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's why the choice is hard.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.75,0:09:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Understanding hard choices in this way
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.19,0:09:43.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,uncovers something\Nabout ourselves we didn't know.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.27,0:09:47.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each of us has the power\Nto create reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.17,0:09:53.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Imagine a world\Nin which every choice you face
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.51,0:09:54.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is an easy choice,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.91,0:09:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is, there's always\Na best alternative.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.21,0:10:00.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If there's a best alternative,\Nthen that's the one you should choose,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.61,0:10:02.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because part of being rational
Dialogue: 0,0:10:02.40,0:10:05.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is doing the better thing\Nrather than the worse thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.14,0:10:07.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,choosing what you have\Nmost reason to choose.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.57,0:10:10.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In such a world,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.30,0:10:12.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we'd have most reason
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.72,0:10:15.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to wear black socks instead of pink socks,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.19,0:10:17.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to eat cereal instead of donuts,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.15,0:10:19.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to live in the city\Nrather than the country,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.23,0:10:21.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to marry Betty instead of Lolita.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.13,0:10:26.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A world full of only easy choices\Nwould enslave us to reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.96,0:10:29.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you think about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.29,0:10:30.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.50,0:10:35.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's nuts to believe\Nthat the reasons given to you
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.24,0:10:40.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dictated that you had\Nmost reason to pursue
Dialogue: 0,0:10:41.01,0:10:42.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the exact hobbies you do,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.95,0:10:46.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to live in the exact house you do,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.17,0:10:48.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to work at the exact job you do.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.47,0:10:53.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, you faced alternatives\Nthat were on a par --
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.96,0:10:55.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hard choices --
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.15,0:10:58.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you made reasons for yourself
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.19,0:11:01.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to choose that hobby,\Nthat house and that job.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.00,0:11:05.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When alternatives are on a par,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.26,0:11:06.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the reasons given to us,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:06.81,0:11:09.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the ones that determine\Nwhether we're making a mistake,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.79,0:11:12.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are silent as to what to do.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:12.99,0:11:16.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's here, in the space of hard choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.70,0:11:20.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we get to exercise\Nour normative power --
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.28,0:11:23.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the power to create reasons for yourself,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:23.82,0:11:28.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make yourself into the kind of person
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.23,0:11:32.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for whom country living\Nis preferable to the urban life.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:33.34,0:11:36.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we choose between options\Nthat are on a par,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.74,0:11:39.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we can do something\Nreally rather remarkable.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.50,0:11:43.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can put our very selves\Nbehind an option.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.32,0:11:46.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's where I stand.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.91,0:11:50.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's who I am, I am for banking.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.13,0:11:52.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am for chocolate donuts.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.29,0:11:53.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.37,0:11:58.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This response in hard choices\Nis a rational response,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.72,0:12:01.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's not dictated\Nby reasons given to us.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.42,0:12:05.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Rather, it's supported\Nby reasons created by us.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.76,0:12:10.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we create reasons for ourselves
Dialogue: 0,0:12:10.36,0:12:13.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to become this kind\Nof person rather than that,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.65,0:12:16.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we wholeheartedly become\Nthe people that we are.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.62,0:12:21.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You might say that we become\Nthe authors of our own lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.05,0:12:27.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So when we face hard choices,\Nwe shouldn't beat our head against a wall
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.67,0:12:30.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying to figure out\Nwhich alternative is better.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.04,0:12:32.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is no best alternative.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.50,0:12:35.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of looking for reasons out there,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:35.06,0:12:37.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we should be looking for reasons in here:
Dialogue: 0,0:12:37.82,0:12:39.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who am I to be?
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.28,0:12:43.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You might decide to be\Na pink sock-wearing,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.74,0:12:47.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cereal-loving, country-living banker,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.66,0:12:50.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I might decide to be\Na black sock-wearing,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:50.87,0:12:52.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,urban, donut-loving artist.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.13,0:12:58.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we do in hard choices\Nis very much up to each of us.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.89,0:13:05.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, people who don't exercise\Ntheir normative powers in hard choices
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.74,0:13:07.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are drifters.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:07.51,0:13:09.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We all know people like that.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.12,0:13:11.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I drifted into being a lawyer.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.44,0:13:13.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't put my agency behind lawyering.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.60,0:13:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wasn't for lawyering.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.54,0:13:21.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Drifters allow the world\Nto write the story of their lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.44,0:13:25.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They let mechanisms\Nof reward and punishment --
Dialogue: 0,0:13:25.29,0:13:29.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pats on the head, fear,\Nthe easiness of an option --
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.23,0:13:30.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to determine what they do.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:31.94,0:13:33.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the lesson of hard choices:
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.37,0:13:38.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reflect on what you can\Nput your agency behind,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.86,0:13:41.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on what you can be for,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.53,0:13:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and through hard choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.77,0:13:45.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,become that person.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.20,0:13:50.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Far from being sources of agony and dread,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.06,0:13:53.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hard choices are precious opportunities
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.43,0:13:57.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for us to celebrate what is special\Nabout the human condition,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.37,0:14:01.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the reasons that govern\Nour choices as correct or incorrect
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.100,0:14:03.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes run out,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.69,0:14:06.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it is here, in the space\Nof hard choices,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.79,0:14:10.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we have the power\Nto create reasons for ourselves
Dialogue: 0,0:14:10.93,0:14:13.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to become the distinctive\Npeople that we are.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.50,0:14:17.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's why hard\Nchoices are not a curse
Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.25,0:14:18.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a godsend.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.97,0:14:20.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:20.16,0:14:23.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)