Uncertainty.
This section lists problem-factors and thinking-traps that this process can address. In general, addressing the issue requires the issue to be filtered through the processes of self-awareness qv and open-mindedness qv.
Be aware of the tendency to be swayed by emotion and non-reasoning modes, and use reasoning to evaluate the validity of those sources.
emotion, priorities, actions
acceptability of actions and outcomes, or iterate
Relationship with Other Components.
Further reading.
This process shouldn't be necessary if all prior processes were set up correctly, but it's possible that something was overlooked initially; eg, a constraint not to kill two billion people. If evaluation is unacceptable, iterate appropriate prior processes.
In addition to reasoning, evaluation may use other modes qv; eg, emotion qv, intuition qv. 'engineering sense check': if the answer feels incorrect, it might be.
If system-agent is 'we' and action-agent is 'I' (as will be the case for personal consideration of wider problems, see problem-assessment qv), we may feel a negative emotional response when considering satisfaction and finding it to be low. This may be limited by consideration of RofR (problem-assessment qv): the individual shouldn't feel responsible for things beyond their control.
Some decisions may always result in lingering negative emotion qv (eg, rational decision to euthanase a pet). Some circumstances are genuinely bad and no action(s) can totally resolve. cf no-good-options qv. This does not conflict with max(happiness) as an objective function because max(happiness) means min(unhappiness).
Why do some people use alcohol, drugs, binge eating, distraction, etc, to mask negative emotions caused by dissatisfaction?[BW] It indicates a decision to make the emotion go away by chemical means rather than by solving the problem to the extent possible, which shows the influence of emotion on priorities. Maybe the priority, or objective function, is to make the unpleasant emotion go away rather than to solve the problem that causes the emotion. It may also relate to a ring-of-responsibility (problem-assessment qv) issue: feeling bad about something that the individual can't change to the extent desired. Looking at the issue backwards: if the decision is alcohol, then the problem being tackled is that of feeling bad (ie, emotion).
"...instead of trying to make our responses just right for the climate of the future we should seek out resilient and flexible solutions, remedies that will be robust in a wide range of possible climate outcomes."