Pros & Cons Decision Calculator
Score weighted pros and cons to help break analysis paralysis. Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s "moral algebra" letter to Joseph Priestley (1772).
Inputs
Pros—
Cons—
Weight each factor 1–10 by how much it genuinely matters to you. Rows with a blank name or a weight of 0 are ignored. Most real decisions take 5–10 factors — add as many rows as you need on either side.
About Pros & Cons Decision Calculator
Where this comes from
In 1772, Ben Franklin wrote to Joseph Priestley describing this exact method — list pros and cons, weight them, sum up. Franklin called it his "moral algebra".
How the verdict is scored
Each side's weights are summed, and the net score is pros minus cons. The wording of the verdict comes from the net margin — the net score divided by all the weight on the table — so listing more factors doesn't make the verdict louder on its own. Under 5% either way reads as a toss-up, 5–25% as a lean, and past 25% as a strong call.
How many factors should you list?
Three is almost never enough — you usually stop at the ones that already agree with you. Aim for five to ten per side, add the awkward ones you'd rather not write down, then weight them. Add and remove rows freely; blank rows and zero weights are simply skipped.
Trap: weighting drift
When you really want a particular answer, you’ll subconsciously inflate weights to support it. Ask a trusted friend to re-weight without seeing your numbers; compare.
When this fails
For irreversible decisions with asymmetric outcomes (career changes, marriages, big bets), don’t average — think about regret and downside risk.