An Ignorance Account of Hard Choices

Abstract

Ignorance is said to be the most widely accepted explanation of what makes choices hard (Chang 2017). But despite its apparent popularity, the debate on hard choices has been dominated by tetrachotomist (e.g., “parity”) and vagueness views. In fact, there is no elaborate ignorance account of hard choices. This article closes this research gap. In so doing, it connects the debate on hard choices with that on transformative experiences (Paul 2014). More precisely, an option’s transformative character can prevent us from epistemically accessing its expected value, promoting ignorance of how to rank the options. Methods of achieving an advance assessment of transformative experiences such as fine-graining, consulting testimony, and using higher-order facts can sometimes evade this epistemic blockade, but not always. Therefore, in cases where these methods fail, a choice can be hard because of our ignorance. The prominent hard choice between two careers could be such a case. When graduating from high school, many face a difficult decision: what to study, if additional education is sought, and, connected to this, what career to pursue. Studying medicine would probably lead to becoming a doctor. Studying law could lead to work as a lawyer, a judge, or a legal advisor. Studying economics could lead to work as a banker, a consultant, or an auditor. And studying philosophy could lead to work as a writer, an academic, or a teacher. Let’s put aside the fact that careers are of course not perfectly plannable (particularly for philosophy graduates). Which career, and thus which subject, should be preferred and consequently chosen? For some people, this decision is straightforward, since they know upfront what they want to become. For others, all but one option can be eliminated because they have no interest or talent in the other fields. For still others, at least two options remain with no clear winner. Let’s assume that some considerations suggest you should become a doctor, whereas others suggest you should become a philosopher. For instance, being a doctor offers the attraction of letting you directly help people. However, being a philosopher lets you pursue questions that deeply interest you. No matter how long you think about it, no preference emerges for one option over the Res Philosophica, Vol. 99, No. 3, July 2022, pp. 321–337 https://doi.org/10.11612/resphil.2193 © 2022 Daniel Villiger • © 2022 Res Philosophica