In The Paradox of Choice, psychologist Barry Schwartz noted that having an endless series of things to choose from can leave us paralyzed rather than satisfied. We like having open options, but how do we pick one that will make us happy? Sometimes having to turn down one opportunity for another keeps us from committing to either. Other times, it’s not clear which course, or internship, or job, or potential date, is actually better than another. We’ve been told to “make good choices,” but how do we actually do that? Join Morningside as we examine how best to make decisions about classes and careers, dates and spouses. 

In our final seminar, we examine what happens when we’re faced with life’s most important decisions. As Agnes Callard and L.A. Paul have noted, choosing a religion, a spouse, or a career shapes you in ways you can’t anticipate. You can’t fully know what will make the “future you” happy, since your present choices will shape you in ways you cannot anticipate. How then can we choose when we don’t fully know what we’re choosing? And is the deepest orientation of our life something we choose or something we discover? Join Nathaniel Peters (Morningside) for a discussion of how to make decisions in the face of the unknown.