When
Title: Temporal Neutrality and Nonfungible Goods
Abstract: Henry Sidgwick’s principle of rational prudence holds that one rationally ought, ceteris paribus, to be equally concerned about all parts of one’s life. Whether the correct theory of well-being is hedonism, desire-satisfactionism, an objective list theory, or some other view still, attending equally to all parts of one’s life requires special care. This is not simply because what a person does in one part of her life may adversely affect other parts of it. And it’s not simply because of prudential luck—luck in how our efforts fair and in whether our plans succeed. It is, more deeply, because of what it is like to live the life of a human person and the nature of the goods that are ours. Recognizing this is important not only for what a person ought to do in her efforts to build and lead a life: it is important to our theorizing about personal good. As I shall explain, many of the goods that are ours structure and shape our lives, shaping what is good for us in the process. Moreover, these goods cannot all simply be traded off against one another. Rather, some goods are nonfungible.
As usual, we'll meet in the Maloney Seminar Room, 3-5p. Those unable to attend in person can spectate virtually via this Zoom link.