Decision Trees
There is a computer science topic called decision trees, which are used to map out all possible decisions and their results, and the next possible decisions and results after that, and so on. This is the method Deep Blue used to beat the world chess champion. There are lots of algorithms for minimizing the size of the tree, maximizing the quality of results, etc.
Do you ever think about the choices you make and their results in this way? It is interesting to think that somewhere in the billions (probably more) choices we make in our lives there exists an optimal path. The certain choices in the right order that lead to maximum happiness/wealth/health/etc.
Much like Deep Blue, we cannot determine the entire tree at any point (unless remarkably close to death). The machine simply looked forward as far as it could and make the move with the most beneficial overall results as far as it could determine at that point. We make educated guesses like these too, with a lesser degree of education.
Is life a journey or a destination? Which is more important, the end of a path or the sum of the qualities of all results on that path?
I guess at this point in my life I'm am too concerned with making the right decisions so that future me will be happy. I am afraid to take fun classes, thinking instead of the skills that I could learn and put on a resume.
There are two classes of which I must choose one. One focuses on hardware, which is not my area of interest, and the other on the software perspective of the same issues. I have an opening in my schedule, but only the hardware class is offered this quarter. I must decide whether to take the class I don't like so that I may advance in my degree progress, or take a fun although worthless class and wait for the better version to come along. I also see that rounding out my skill set might be more beneficial than concentrating totally on software.
The most worry-some part of this decision is that I am unable to make it. I keep arguing myself back and forth, obsessing about getting as close as possible to that optimal path.
Do you ever think about the choices you make and their results in this way? It is interesting to think that somewhere in the billions (probably more) choices we make in our lives there exists an optimal path. The certain choices in the right order that lead to maximum happiness/wealth/health/etc.
Much like Deep Blue, we cannot determine the entire tree at any point (unless remarkably close to death). The machine simply looked forward as far as it could and make the move with the most beneficial overall results as far as it could determine at that point. We make educated guesses like these too, with a lesser degree of education.
Is life a journey or a destination? Which is more important, the end of a path or the sum of the qualities of all results on that path?
I guess at this point in my life I'm am too concerned with making the right decisions so that future me will be happy. I am afraid to take fun classes, thinking instead of the skills that I could learn and put on a resume.
There are two classes of which I must choose one. One focuses on hardware, which is not my area of interest, and the other on the software perspective of the same issues. I have an opening in my schedule, but only the hardware class is offered this quarter. I must decide whether to take the class I don't like so that I may advance in my degree progress, or take a fun although worthless class and wait for the better version to come along. I also see that rounding out my skill set might be more beneficial than concentrating totally on software.
The most worry-some part of this decision is that I am unable to make it. I keep arguing myself back and forth, obsessing about getting as close as possible to that optimal path.