“Lotteries and gambling have been around for centuries, but randomness does now seem to be seeping out into more areas of life. Perhaps it’s an indicator of our wealth. We have large music collections, can afford to buy almost any food the planet produces and travel all over the world. The entertainment options on offer to us are almost unlimited. Trying to make an informed choice between all possible alternatives would take too long: they’re all good, so why not pick one at random? But is this a warning sign of terminal decadence?”