The John Problem

36.5 X 37.25 inches, colored pencil and graphite on shaped and collaged paper

This drawing is based on The Conjunction Fallacy, otherwise known as The Linda Problem. The fallacy was first articulated by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, cognitive psychologists who explored human decision-making. The fallacy highlights how we perceive meaning where there most likely isn’t any. The original study question is below:

Linda is thirty-one years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice and also participated in anti-nuclear demonstrations. Which is more probable?

1. Linda is a bank teller. 2. Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.

For this drawing, I formulated my own interpretation of the fallacy's premise, which both subverts the original question and references broader considerations about how we make consequential decisions when confronted with questions of meaning and significance.