phil110 discussion and discussion responses

Hello,

This is a two part questions. First I will need the discussion question answer which will be below in bold, 300 words APA format. For the response I will need three responses of at least 150 words each.

– Watch the three TED talks on critically making decisions and choose one to analyze.

– Share your thoughts about the decision-making process described in your chosen TED. Explain why you think the talk is on target or why it is off base using specific examples from the video as proof.

– Describe decision-making situations, dilemmas, or questions that the TED talk brings to mind.

TED Talks:

How to Make Hard Choices, Ruth Chang

Why We Make Bad Decisions, Dan Gilbert

Why People Believe Weird Things, Michael Shermer

Part 2.

Student one:

My forum will be discussing the “why we make bad decisions” ted talk. It seems a majority of bad decisions are a cause of hoping either the odds of that decision will be in your favor, or that the value from the gain of that decision is greater than in reality. Day to day bad decisions aren’t usually intentional simple things like what you decide to eat, when you decide to wake up or sleep, or how productively you decide to spend your time can be classified as a good or bad decision. As an example when I got home from work today I debated wether I should sit and play video games or get on class to complete this weeks forum. Now neither of those things individually seems like a bad decision. But when placed next to one another it is easier to see which has more value to completing. So a bad decision isn’t always as blatant as a lot of people perceive. There are more serious bad decisions like crime and drugs but when people make those decisions they weigh the odds of the negative consequences such as jail or overdose against the imagined value of decision such as easy money or feeling high.

Most people know the difference between right and wrong. But not every bad decision made is necessarily wrong, their just may have been a better way to approach a situation and it hasn’t been thought out as much as it could have been.

Student two:

Hello Class,

I watch all three of the TEDtalk video, and I can relate more with a talk by Ruth Change regarding career decision. When I finish high school, I knew I love technology and science and wanted to pursue a career in one of the fields of studies. That didn’t happen, and I ended up in the military for over 20 plus years in the footsteps of my father, uncles, cousins, and other family member dating back to WWII. From that, I move into law enforcement and protective security.

Now the decision is to move more toward physical security or cybersecurity. My degree program allows me to move in both directions. With that said, I had to decide that cybersecurity will be my primary focus because of my understanding of defense in depth. One thing that I get from my field of studies, especially when it comes to intelligence, is the ability to take bias out of critical thinking as it relates to information.

The other one that I like “Why People Believe Weird Things” by Michael Shermer. After watching the talk, I got to thinking about what people will believe without all the facts. I’m going keep on my intelligence hat because, as an intelligence professional, facts matter. Facts drive critical thinking for intelligence analysts use to inform policymakers to keep the country safe from terrorist attacks or, in this case, the health crises that we are dealing with today.

Critical thinking is a very important of any professional job that other people’s lives are on the line or when it comes to individual financial, jobs, or family members matter. We live in a world that most people don’t understand that it is becoming increasingly unsafe because critical thinking is not being applied or just being ignored.

Student three:

I chose to analyze the TED talk “How to Make Hard Choices” by Ruth Chang. This video resonated with me in a multitude of ways. I often struggle making hard choices, and this video explained that hard choices are normal and a crucial part of our development. Chang explained that hard decisions are not quantifiable as our brain often tries to perceive them as, but rather they are “on par.” Her definition of on par is that one alternative isn’t necessarily better than the other, but they are the same type of value, yet also very different, thus making the decision hard. I think this is an accurate statement because in many instances we are faced with choices that aren’t obviously better than another but could potentially yield very different results. I am currently facing a hard decision on what to do in the next two years career wise. I am nearing my second reenlistment window and am trying to decide if I want to reenlist or ETS from the Army. I enjoy the Army, but have many factors to consider, being dual military means not a lot of time is spent at home, and my household moves every few years for new assignments. While I would like to ETS, and provide more predictability and stability for my family, the “safe choice” would be to stay in. There are many things I don’t have to worry about while in the Army that I would have to worry about if I decided to separate, to include income, insurance, and housing. Ultimately my husband and I will need to continue to analyze which decision will provide a better long-term outcome, even if the decision forces us out of our comfort zone initially. As Chang states in the conclusion of her video “hard choices are precious opportunities…they are not a curse, but a godsend.”