To return to Darwin, his problem of deciding whether to propose could probably have been resolved based on just the first few pros and cons he identified, with the subsequent ones adding to the time and anxiety expended on the decision without necessarily aiding its resolution (and in all likelihood impeding it). What seemed to make up his mind was the thought that “it is intolerable to think of spending one’s whole life like a neuter bee, working, working, & nothing after all.” Children and companionship—the very first points he mentioned—were precisely those that ultimately swayed him in
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