Through PJ Mackintosh’s research, he has developed something called cascade decision theory. For example, imagine that you are in supermarket and presented with choice of what cereal to buy. There have been countless decisions made to bring that choice to you and many more that have been discounted. You are making your decision on all the decisions that preceded it.
Cascade Descion theory attempts to highlight this. We live in a world of historic decisions. Going back to the supermarket example – who decided to build a supermarket there in the first place? Who decided what products to stock? Who decided where on the shelves should each product sit? Who decided on the shape, size, design and contents of the product? Being aware of cascade decision theory is an attempt to make us aware of all the decisions that we have had little to no say in.
A good example is the film The Devil Wears Prada. When Miranda Priestly makes her selection from a rail of clothes she is not making a free choice. Numerous decisions have already been made to the number and selection of clothes Miranda will select from. She is trapped in decisions like all of us – being aware of this opens up the door to true free will. Don’t necessarily settle for what’s in front of you – consider all the possibilities and open your mind.
