Deliberation And Aristotle, 6-30-2010

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Chapter 9 of Book VI ought to be read by lawyers. How many times have I pondered about the way a jury processes information on the way to a decision. In my best big felony trial with a witness with a lockstep story-one day built upon the narrative-and I had a glaring hole for two of the three days of her testimonies. The jury dismissed the discrepancy as her being confused! 

... Moreover, it is not good guessing either. For good guessing involves no reasoning and is done quickly;but we deliberate a long time and it is very sad that we must act quickly on the result of our deliberation, but deliberate slowly... 

Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, chapter 9, section 2.

I also see an answer to my questions about my prudence in making the decisions that brought me to prison.

As for the incontinent or base person will use rational calculation to reach what he proposes to see, and will so have deliberated correctly [of that is all it takes], but will have got himself a great evil. Having deliberated well seems, on the contrary, to be some sort of good; for the sort of correctness in deliberation that makes it good deliberation is the sort that reaches a good.

Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, chapter 9, section 4. That section has the following footnote:

... But though the  incontinent acts on deliberation, he does not act on a decision... He does not on a decision because the Desire that originates the deliberation is a nonrational appetite rather than the rational wish that is required for decision....

Again, I would like to know what modern psychology has to say about rational decisions.

But can we teach good deliberating?  Do we just assume that all people can properly deliberate and make rational decisions? Does that not bring the whole of the advertising industry into question? That is, if we are all equally capable of making rational decisions after good deliberation, the majority of advertising agencies defraud their clients by their inane and irrelevant commercials?

If good deliberating means following the proper method to reach a good, how to explain any of these things:

1. Impulse buying?
2. The majority of legislation?
3. Paul Newman never getting a Best Actor Oscar?
4. The French seeing comedic genius in Jerry Lewis?
5. VHS beating Betamax?

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