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1 results

  • 5 - What Is a Good Decision?

  • Thomas Dietz, Michigan State University
  • Book:
    Decisions for Sustainability
    Published online:
    25 May 2023
    Print publication:
    08 June 2023, pp 77-97

  • Summary

    Making good decisions about sustainability requires explicit consideration about what criteria to use. Three grand traditions dominate most policy discussions: utilitarianism, deliberative ethics and anarchism/libertarianism. The chapter proposes seven criteria for good decisions. Three are criteria for the outcomes. A good decision should enhance the well-being of humans and other species while reducing stress on the environment; be efficient in allocating resources; and enhance individual freedoms. Four are criteria about process: take account of uncertainty in both facts and values, as well as value conflicts; promote fairness in both the decision process and its outcomes; rely on human cognitive strengths and compensate for weaknesses; and allow for social learning.