Andreas Porzelt

schreibt darüber Entscheidungen zu treffen. Köln – 2013
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„In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing“ -Theodore Roosevelt-

Our lifes are based on making decisions. Every day people struggle to do things right, not knowing whats rigth or wrong but believing to make appropriate choices. But even if there is a right or wrong, how can we possibly know?

We assume, that the free will is a human ability, to decide, when several options are given. But our self-determination, our freedom and our self reliance is influenced by surrounding conditions, that we can not control. So we have to distinguish two certain events.

The first one is the “limited“ free will. In this occurence the will seems to be free, when you make up your mind based on your own personal motivation and affection. To do, what you want to do or what you could have done, if you would have chosen to do so, you are faced with different wishes that lead you to your own answer, indulged in your personality and environment. So basically we are not completly free to decide what to do, but led to just one posibility that fits for us in a certain circumstance. An obvious decision, but unforeseeable for ourselfes.

The other one is the “unconditioned“ free will. Not constrained by motivation and affection. Not influenced by personality and environment. To surmount the obstacles of the “limited“ free will, to decide whithout any restrainment. But this case would only be given, if your will would not be dependant on and influenced by anything. Your will would be by pure chance and completly unmotivated. Decisions would be made by accident and would not refer to the motivation and affection of the acting person anymore. Your will would be fully detached from you and would not express who you are.

But really, it doesn‘t seem to be possible to achieve the “unconditioned“ free will. Moreover it would not be very satisfying to „accidently“ make your choices.

Having said that, we now know that decisions are always, in a certain way, predictable. And that there is not really such a thing as a free will or a free choice.

Going back to the beginnig, it is crucial to realise the importance of what Roosevelt really said. The process of deciding is very complicated and difficult to make. So it is important to have a good approach in finding the right answer. And a great solution for that is the experiment.

Performing an experiment basically means proving a propositon to be right or wrong. So really there is no right or wrong. There is just an answer to question. And every step you take, asking almost the same questions over and over again, but changing certain factors, will get you different results. Just don‘t be afraid of asking.

The experiment is just a great trial and error tool, searching either for an answer well known, but not proved jet, or searching for an answer far beyond your own imagination. Not to forget the purpose of learning. Learning how certain decisons diversify the outcome. Learning to overcome the fear of trying things. Just as Roosevelt tries to imply that there can be a good and a bad choice, but both choices are better than none.

Losing the fear of failure, losing the fear of making things wrong or not the right way. We tend to forget that failure is in the nature of humanity. And with evolution, being fearless of failure, mankind can now exist.

And I think I do know now what experimental designing is all about. Getting rid off all the thougths that restrain you from finding a greater value. Experimenting. Trying. Failing. Trying again. Not losing the pleasure in seeking for something else. Something unknown. Every result is a good result. No matter what other people say. As long as you draw your conclusion.

To come to an end, writing all this made me realise, that i didn‘t really liked this task in the beginning. I chose arbitrariness(Willkür), because it sounded familiar and I was confident, that I could write a great essay with it. And this was my own failure and arbitrariness was just an experiment, proving that I would have been way better off with any other word. Maybe with the word decision(Entscheidung), which I used very commonly. But at least I tried and had fun experimenting in writing this essay in english. I made the right choice and learned to wake up slumbering english skills again, that hadn‘t been used in so long. Now ending this essay the way it started…

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.“

-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

Czienskowski, Uwe (1996). Wissenschaftliche Experimente: Planung, Auswertung, Interpretation. [Book].

Weinheim: Beltz, Psychologie-Verl.-Union.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo ( ). Quotation. [Online].

Available at: http://rfqk.com/life-is-an-experiment.html

Roosevelt, Theodore ( ). Quotation. [Online].

Available at: http://quotationsbook.com/quote/10304/#sthash.u1yG0UAZ.dpbs

Gilboa, Itzhak (2011). Making better decisions: decision theory in practice. [book].

Chichester [u.a.]: Wiley Blackwell

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