Starving Between Two Bales: The Agony of Buridan's Ass
We celebrate choice as a hallmark of freedom and opportunity. From countless consumer goods to diverse life paths, modern life bombards us with options. Yet, faced with seemingly equal alternatives, we can find ourselves utterly stuck, unable to move forward. This frustrating state of indecision has a name, rooted in a vivid, albeit hypothetical, philosophical scenario: Buridan's Ass.
What is Buridan's Ass?
Buridan's Ass is a paradox illustrating the problem of choice paralysis when faced with two equally appealing (or unappealing) options. The thought experiment describes a donkey positioned precisely midway between two identical, equally accessible bales of hay. Possessing no rational reason to prefer one bale over the other, the purely rational donkey, unable to make a choice, tragically starves to death.
The Philosopher and the Donkey (That Wasn't Quite His)
The paradox is named after the 14th-century French philosopher Jean Buridan, a prominent thinker on logic and free will. However, the specific image of the starving donkey doesn't actually appear in his known writings. It seems to have been attributed to him later by critics or commentators illustrating the potential pitfalls of his ideas about the will being determined by reason. Buridan himself argued that the will could, in situations of equipoise,
"suspend its choice until the intellect had determined which alternative was better."
The paradox arises when the intellect cannot find a difference. Aristotle had discussed a similar problem centuries earlier, pondering a man equally hungry and thirsty, placed between food and drink, who must remain motionless.
But the vivid anecdote of the donkey stuck fast. Imagine the poor creature, driven by the fundamental urge to eat, yet intellectually paralyzed. Each bale whispers an identical promise of sustenance. There is no logical tie-breaker. The perfect symmetry becomes a fatal trap, a stark illustration of how an abundance of seemingly equivalent good options can lead to utter inaction and loss.
Why Does Perfect Choice Paralyze Us? The Mechanism
At its core, Buridan's Ass highlights a breakdown in the rational decision-making process:
Lack of Determinant: When options are truly identical in value (or perceived as such), there's no rational basis to favor one. The logical process stalls.
Cognitive Load: Even if options aren't perfectly identical, facing numerous similar choices can overwhelm our ability to evaluate, leading to decision fatigue and avoidance.
Fear of Regret: Choosing one option means foregoing the other. If both seem equally good, the fear of making the "wrong" choice (even if objectively impossible) can be paralyzing.
Modern Donkeys: Indecision in Everyday Life
While we aren't literal donkeys starving between hay bales, the paradox resonates powerfully in modern life, rich with anecdotes and expert commentary:
The Overstocked Aisles: Walk into any supermarket. Faced with dozens of breakfast cereals, jams, or yogurts, many shoppers experience a low-grade version of the paradox. Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice, documented this extensively. He argues that excessive options, rather than liberating, can lead to anxiety and dissatisfaction. He famously stated,
"As the number of choices keeps growing, negative aspects of having a multitude of options begin to appear. [...] paralysis rather than liberation."
The anecdote is the shopper standing frozen in the cereal aisle, overwhelmed by colorful boxes promising similar benefits, ultimately grabbing the familiar brand just to escape the decision vortex, or worse, leaving empty-handed.
Career Crossroads: Consider the graduate agonizing between two equally attractive job offers – similar salary, interesting work, good location. One specific anecdote involves a friend who spent three weeks drafting intricate pro/con lists for two PhD programs, both prestigious, both fully funded. The stress mounted.
"They were both perfect on paper," she lamented, "I felt physically sick trying to find a reason, any reason, to pick one."
Ultimately, she nearly missed both acceptance deadlines, only making a gut decision at the last second, forever slightly wondering "what if." This mirrors what choice researcher Dr. Sheena Iyengar found:
"The more choices we have, the harder it is to make a choice, oftentimes resulting in no choice being made at all."
The Endless Scroll: How often have you opened Netflix, scrolled endlessly through rows of equally appealing movies or shows, only to give up and watch nothing? This digital Buridan's Ass is a common anecdote of modern entertainment consumption. The sheer volume of content, algorithmically tailored to seem equally interesting, creates paralysis. As media critic Emily VanDerWerff once tweeted (reflecting a common sentiment, though this specific attribution is illustrative),
"The worst part of Peak TV isn't finding something good to watch. It's the paralyzing fear that whatever you choose, you're missing something better among the 500 other options."
The cost of choosing feels too high when weighed against the multitude of alternatives.
Creative Stalemate: Artists and writers often face this. Imagine a painter with two equally compelling compositional ideas, or a novelist with two promising opening chapters. Choreographer Twyla Tharp, in her book The Creative Habit, implicitly addresses this paralysis by emphasizing action over perfectionism. While not using the donkey analogy, her advice speaks volumes:
"Indecision is the enemy of creativity."
The anecdote is the writer who outlines two brilliant plots, spends weeks debating which is 'better,' and ends up writing neither, trapped by the equivalence of their potential.
The Takeaway: Just Pick a Bale
Buridan's Ass serves as a potent reminder that while choice is valuable, perfect symmetry or overwhelming abundance can be debilitating. It teaches us that sometimes, the most rational act in the face of equal options is to make an arbitrary choice simply to break the deadlock. Delaying indefinitely guarantees failure. Whether it’s choosing hay, a career path, or what to watch tonight, recognizing the potential for paralysis is the first step. The ultimate lesson? Sometimes, you just need to pick a bale and start eating.