A third facet of the practical, I shall call the anticipatory generation of alternatives. Intimate knowledge of the existing state of affairs, early identification of problem situations and effective formulation of problems are necessary to effective practical decision, but they are not sufficient. Effective decision also requires that there be available to practical deliberation the greatest possible number and fresh diversity of alternative solutions to problems. One reason for this requirement is obvious enough: the best choice among poor and shopworn alternatives will still be a poor solution to the problem. A second aspect is less obvious.