Self-Control, Decision Theory, and Rationality

New Essays

José Luis Bermúdez

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781108420099
• eBook ISBN: 9781108352079
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy & Ethics in Science

Thinking about self-control takes us to the heart of practical decision-making, human agency, motivation, and rational choice. Psychologists, philosophers, and decision theorists have all brought valuable insights and perspectives on how to model self-control, on different mechanisms for achieving and strengthening self-control, and on how self-control fits into the overall cognitive and affective economy. Yet these different literatures have remained relatively insulated from each other.Self-Control, Decision Theory, and Rationalitybrings them into dialog by focusing on the theme of rationality. It contains eleven newly written essays by a distinguished group of philosophers, psychologists, and decision theorists, together with a substantial introduction, collectively offering state-of-the-art perspectives on the rationality of self-control and the different mechanisms for achieving it.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Contributors
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 Temptation and Preference-Based Instrumental Rationality
• 2 Self-Prediction and Self-Control
• 3 Rational Plans
• 4 Self-Control and Hyperbolic Discounting
• 5 Preference Reversals, Delay Discounting, Rational Choice, and the Brain
• 6 In What Sense Are Addicts Irrational?
• 7 Why Temptation?
• 8 Frames, Rationality, and Self-Control
• 9 Exercising Self-Control: An Apparent Problem Resolved
• 10 Putting Willpower into Decision Theory: The Person As a Team Over Time and Intrapersonal Team Reasoning
• 11 The Many Ways to Achieve Diachronic Unity
• Index