  Another approach to the comparison problem appeals to basic preferences. Joseph Raz takes the line that we can explain choice between irreducibly plural goods by talking about basic preferences. Raz approaches the issue of incommensurability by talking about the nature of agency and rationality instead of about the nature of value. He distinguishes between two conceptions of human agency: the rationalist conception, and the classical conception. The rationalist conception corresponds to what we have called the stronger use of the term rational. According to the rationalist conception, reasons require action. The classical conception, by contrast, “regards reasons as rendering options eligible” (Raz 1999, p. 47). Raz favors the classical conception, which regards the will as something separate from desire: 