Decision-Making
16 concepts
- InversionYou have a solid plan for success but haven't once asked what would guarantee failure.
- SteelmanYou've spotted flaws in someone's argument but haven't checked whether you're engaging with what they actually meant.
- Black Swan TheoryYour model says this cannot happen — and you've never questioned what the model structurally excludes.
- Opportunity CostYou chose the safe option, and only later realized the real cost was every better alternative you silently forfeited.
- Via NegativaYou're about to solve a problem by adding something new, but the real cause might be something to remove.
- BATNAYou are about to accept terms you consider unfair because the fear of walking away outweighs the deal's shortcomings.
- Regret MinimizationA major life decision has been deadlocked for weeks, and the primary obstacle is fear rather than evidence.
- Reversible vs. Irreversible DecisionsYou have spent a week researching a choice you could simply try, undo, and try differently tomorrow.
- Satisficing vs. MaximizingYou have already found a laptop that meets every requirement on your list, and you are about to open a fifteenth browser tab to keep comparing.
- Game TheoryYour best move depends entirely on what the other side chooses — and they face the same bind in reverse.
- Circle of CompetenceSomeone asks a specific question about your area of expertise and the gap in your knowledge surprises you.
- Revealed PreferencesThey say it is their top priority — but their calendar and bank statement tell you what actually is.
- Decision FatigueEvery option feels equally flat — not because they are equivalent but because you are spent from choosing.
- Base RatesYour confidence in this plan keeps rising with each vivid detail, but you haven't asked how often such plans succeed.
- ErgodicityThe expected return looks excellent — but you only get one sequence of outcomes, not the average across parallel lives.
- Time Value of MoneyYou keep meaning to start investing but the amount feels too small to matter — while the compounding clock runs.