Once the possible responses to the problem are laid out in a continuum of choice, it is time to consider how best to choose between them. To make this choice, criteria of judgement must be established.

Criteria of judgement are standards by which we can assess the options available to us. Establishing criteria of judgment involves working out what it is that we are trying to achieve in tackling a problem, what our priorities are.

For example, if we were attempting to decide what to do about the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, then we might make use of any or all of the following criteria of judgement:

• Promoting fair competition.
• Improving the sport as a spectacle.
• Protecting the health of the athletes.

Which of these criteria we adopted would affect which of the possible responses to the problem we ultimately endorse.