Decisions & Choices
What separates a decision from a choice? The answer isn’t in the outcome, but in the nature of the deliberation itself. Decisions belong to the realm of rationality and analysis. They're like mathematical equations waiting to be solved. When we make a decision, we're essentially processing data – weighing probabilities, analysing risks, calculating outcomes. If the variables are too close, the ancient practice of cleromancy (casting lots) serves us just as well as hours of deliberation. But choices? They pierce through the armour of pure rationality and touch the core of who we are. Making a choice means wrestling with our values, confronting our fears, and sometimes, fundamentally reimagining our future selves. When we choose, we're not just selecting an option – we're declaring something about our identity. Consider the parent choosing between a lucrative job offer abroad and staying close to family. Or the artist choosing between commercial success and artistic integrity. These aren't mere decisions to be solved with spreadsheets and pro-con lists. They're existential moments that demand self-reflection.
The philosopher Ruth Chang suggests that in life's most significant moments, the very idea of finding the "right" answer misses the point. She argues that hard choices are not hard because we're ignorant or indecisive. They're hard because they're opportunities for self-creation. When we choose between career paths, life partners, or moral stances, we're not discovering a pre-existing "right" answer. Instead, we're actively creating reasons through the very act of choosing. Consider the parent choosing between a lucrative job offer abroad and staying close to family. Chang would say neither option is better than the other - they're on a par. The magic happens when we exercise what she calls our "normative powers" - our ability to create reasons through commitment to a choice.
The ancient Stoics understood this distinction well. Epictetus taught that while we can't control external circumstances, we can control our responses to them. Decisions deal with the external world of facts and probabilities. Choices, however, live in the internal world of values and character.
So next time we’re stuck in what feels like an impossible decision, pause and ask: Is this a decision, or is it a choice? If it's the latter, put away the calculator. Instead, turn inward and ask, "What kind of person do I want to be?" because in the end, decisions shape our circumstances, but choices shape who we are.