Talk:The Paradox of Choice/Archives/2012

Practicing the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice, from infancy to adulthood

Hi Ademkader,

Why do you think "Practicing the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice, from infancy to adulthood" added section is advertising and/or a personal opinion and/or irrelevant ?

87.70.118.211 (talk) 00:07, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

a few reasons: first, it mostly advertises sudbury valley school, which has little relevance to the article (which is about the book). second, it's merely personal opinion: "as claimed precisely because modern world and modern society brings us to meet with more choice than ever before, and in order to benefit from it by learning to deal with it best from experience and from an early age..." why? how? according to who?

if the title of the section was "alternative views" or "criticism" or something similar and contained non-personal opinion, then it will perhaps be more suitable.

finally, it would be nice if the author of the article registered with wikipedia. an anonymous ip address casts doubt on the content too. --Ademkader (talk) 12:19, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't advertise Sudbury Valley School, since it is about Sudbury model schools, where freedom of choice is central and inherent to the schools' system, meaning that kids practice choice all the time beginning when they register to school till they graduate, and every day, since they arrive to school in the morning till they leave in the afternoon. That gives them opportunity to get acquainted with, and practice, "the process of choice", so when they leave school and enter the adult world the chances are they won't suffer, or suffer less, from anxiety, or get a depression, because of the burden that represents life's multiplicity of choice. It is not merely personal opinion, as this is inherent to the system. Finally, and for the time being, the author of the article would prefer to write with an anonymous ip.

What do you think of the following?:

Practicing the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice, from infancy to adulthood

Sudbury model schools assert their democratic structure encourages the practicing of the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice, from infancy to adulthood. They claim that because modern world and modern society brings us to meet with more choice than ever before, people in these schools benefit from the practicing of the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice by learning best to deal — among other things — with multiplicity of choices, through experience and from an early age.

87.70.118.211 (talk) 14:18, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

I think this article is about the book. Any ideas, for or against it, should be stated in an objective manner. "Sudbury model schools assert their democratic structure encourages the practicing of the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice, from infancy to adulthood." Good for them. "They claim that because modern world and modern society brings us to meet with more choice than ever before, people in these schools benefit from the practicing of the uses of freedom, and freedom of choice by learning best to deal — among other things — with multiplicity of choices, through experience and from an early age." Great for them. --Ademkader (talk) 15:15, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

If you can write an article (better still, a book) that refutes the studies presented in the book, or if you can write something that critiques the book, then i think it would be ok to put a new section (i.e. criticism for the book) and reference the article. otherwise, it's merely a subjective opinion that doesn't have encyclopedic value. --Ademkader (talk) 15:32, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

Criticism for the book

Barry Schwartz is right when he writes that:

"Autonomy and Freedom of choice are critical to our well being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don't seem to be benefiting from it psychologically." — quoted from Ch.5, "The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less", 2004.

But I think Schwartz would also be non realistic, and he would be "throwing out the baby with the bath water," trying to reduce anxiety for shoppers -- and/or for decision makers from multiple choices -- by eliminating consumer and/or decision makers choices -- as he argues in his book. Sudbury model schools are a living testimony that we must not do that. You just let people practice "choice making" beginning in their early years and during their whole education thus getting used to making decisions out of choices in the natural way.

You don't need a book, or an article, to confirm that. You just go and see it in practice in these schools. It is not an opinion -- it is a fact that can be confirmed by looking at what Sudbury model schools have been doing. Don't you think this has encyclopedic value?

87.70.118.211 (talk) 05:21, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

• Note added: 87.70.90.116 (talk) 12:05, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Why is there a link on this page to Spanish and Dutch for a completely different book? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.33.45.197 (talk) 10:19, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

Paradox of Choice doesn't exist ?

Well, At least this is what this article (more or less) claims:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9cebd444-cd9c-11de-8162-00144feabdc0.html

But it will require finding the sources and confronting them with the current evidence.

What do you think Talgalili (talk) 08:10, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

is there any mention of data?

Is there any mention of any sort of data in this book? This summary throws around a lot of strong words like "anxiety", "stress", and there's a section titled rather melodramatically "how we suffer". Since this fellow is a psychologist, you would hope that this is a little better than just his opinion. -- Doom (talk) 21:00, 29 November 2011 (UTC)