Moral Choices for Our Future Selves: An Empirical Theory of Prudential Perception and a Moral Theory of Prudence

135 Pages·2022·1.735 MB·English

by  Eleonora Viganò

“In this innovative and wide-reaching work, Eleonora Viganò presents
a new theory of how people think about and interact with their future
selves. Far from a simple matter of self-control, Viganò shows us how our
­intertemporal­trade-offs­have­a­potent­moral­dimension.­This­book­inspires­
a new view of selfhood and has considerable implications for the way we
act in the present with our future in mind.”
—Adam Bulley, Harvard University and the University of Sydney

Moral Choices for Our Future
Selves
This­book­investigates­the­relationship­between­our­present­and­future­
selves.­ It­ focuses­ specifically­ on­ diachronic­ self-regarding­ decisions:­
choices involving our earlier and later selves, in which the earlier self makes
a decision for the later self.
The­author­connects­the­scientific­understanding­of­the­­neurobehavioral­
processes at the core of individuals’ perceptions of their future selves with the
philosophical­reflection­on­individuals’­moral­relationship­with­their­future­
selves. She delineates a descriptive theory of the perception of the future self that
is based on empirical evidence and that s ystematizes and integrates the c urrent
theoretical literature. She then argues for the m orality of prudence and i nterprets
diachronic self-regarding decisions as decisions between two agents—the
earlier and later selves—that belong to the realm of i ntergenerational e thics,
which regulates the relationship between c ontemporary people and future
generations. Finally, the author provides a moral theory of prudence based on
respect­for­one’s­agency.­This­­theory­identifies­what­the­present­and­the­future­
selves owe to one another in d iachronic self-regarding decisions.
Moral Choices for Our Future Selves will be of interest to scholars and
students working in ethics, moral psychology, philosophy of mind, and
cognitive science.
Eleonora Viganò is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Biomedical
Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Her work focuses on self-regarding morality, the neuroscience of ethics,
and digital ethics.
Routledge Focus on Philosophy
Routledge Focus on Philosophy is an exciting and innovative new series,
capturing and disseminating some of the best and most exciting new
research in philosophy in short book form. Peer reviewed and at a m aximum
of­fifty­thousand­words­shorter­than­the­typical­research­­monograph,­
Routledge Focus on Philosophy titles are available in both ebook and print
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such is invaluable reading for the scholar, researcher and student seeking
to­keep­their­finger­on­the­pulse­of­the­discipline.­The­series­also­reflects­
the growing interdisciplinarity within philosophy and will be of interest to
those in related disciplines across the humanities and social sciences.
Confucianism and the Philosophy of Well-Being
Richard Kim
The Repugnant Conclusion
A Philosophical Inquiry
Christopher Cowie
Totalitarianism and Philosophy
Alan Haworth
Moral Choices for Our Future Selves
An­Empirical­Theory­of­Prudential­Perception­and­a­Moral­Theory­of­
Prudence
Eleonora Viganò
For­more­information­about­this­series,­please­visit:­www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Focus-on-Philosophy/book-series/RFP
Moral Choices for Our Future
Selves
An­Empirical­Theory­of­Prudential­
Perception­and­a­Moral­Theory­
of Prudence
Eleonora Viganò
First published 2023
by Routledge
605­Third­Avenue,­New­York,­NY­10158
and by Routledge
4­Park­Square,­Milton­Park,­Abingdon,­Oxon,­OX14­4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2023 Eleonora Viganò
The­right­of­Eleonora­Viganò­to­be­identified­as­author­of­this­work­
has­been­asserted­in­accordance­with­sections­77­and­78­of­the­
Copyright,­Designs­and­Patents­Act­1988.
With the exception of Chapter 3, no part of this book may
be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
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Chapter 3 of this book is available for free in PDF format as Open
Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It
has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-
Non­Commercial-No­Derivatives­4.0­license.
Trademark notice:­Product­or­corporate­names­may­be­trademarks­
or­registered­trademarks,­and­are­used­only­for­identification­and­
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN:­978-0-367-63493-3­(hbk)
ISBN:­978-0-367-64095-8­(pbk)
ISBN:­978-1-003-12214-2­(ebk)
DOI:­10.4324/9781003122142
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Contents
Funding x
Epigraph xi
Acknowledgments xii
­ Introduction­ 1
1­ How­do­we­perceive­our­future­selves?­The­
neurobehavioral basis of one’s perception of the
future­self­ 8
2 What is the nature of the relationship in which we
stand­with­our­future­selves?­Practical­and­moral­
issues­of­one’s­perception­of­the­future­self­ 38
3­ How­should­we­treat­our­future­selves?­The­moral­
requirements of prudence to one’s present and
future selves 60
4­ How­does­the­Moral­Theory­of­Prudence­work­in­
practice?­The­application­of­the­theory­to­advance­
healthcare­directives­in­dementia­ 93
­ Conclusion­ 114
Index­ 118