CF Dictionary A reference for Critical Fallibilism

CF Dictionary · Discourse & Debate

Goal Tree

A tree diagram that decomposes a goal into sub-goals. CF / ToC uses it to clarify what success looks like.

A goal tree is a tree diagram that decomposes a goal into sub-goals. CF / ToC uses it to clarify what success looks like and where to focus.

Why goal trees

  • Goals are vague. "Be healthy", "do well in school", "be happy."
  • Sub-goals are concrete. "Sleep 8 hours", "study 2 hours/day", "exercise 3x/week."
  • Decomposition reveals bottlenecks.: Which sub-goal is hardest?

How to build one

  1. State the top-level goal. What's the ultimate goal?
  2. Decompose. What are the major sub-goals?
  3. Decompose again. What are the sub-sub-goals?
  4. Until concrete. Until each leaf is something you can act on.
  5. Identify the constraint. Which leaf is the bottleneck?

Goal trees vs. idea trees

  • Idea tree. Maps arguments.
  • Goal tree. Maps goals.

CF often combines them:

  • Goal tree. What are we trying to do?
  • Idea tree. What are the arguments?
  • Combined. What's the argument for this sub-goal?

Use cases

  • Personal planning. What are my goals, really?
  • Project management. Where's the bottleneck?
  • Education. What does "master this subject" decompose into?
  • Paths Forward. Where do we disagree on goals?

— criticalfallibilism.com