Description
Self-control has gained enormous attention in recent years both in philosophy and the mind sciences, for it has profound implications on so many aspects of human life. Overcoming temptation, improving cognitive functioning, making life-altering decisions, and numerous other challenges all depend upon self-control. But recent developments in the philosophy of mind and in action theory, as well as in psychology, are now testing some of the assumptions about the nature of self-control previously held on purely a priori grounds.New essays in this volume offer fresh insights from a variety of angles: neuroscience; social, cognitive, and developmental psychology; decision theory; and philosophy. While much of the literature on self-control is spread across distinct disciplines and journals, this volume presents for the first time a thorough and truly interdisciplinary exploration of the topic.The essays address four central topics: what self-control is and how it works; temptation and goal pursuit; self-control, morality, and law; and extending self-control. They take up an array of complex and important questions. What is self-control? How is self-control related to willpower? How does inhibitory control work? What are the cultural and developmental origins of beliefs about self-control? How are attempts at self-control hindered or helped by emotions? How do our beliefs about our own ability to deal with temptation influence our behavior? What does the ability to avoid temptation depend on? How should juvenile responsibility be understood, and how should the juvenile justice system be reformed? Can an account of self-control help us understand free will?Combining the most recent scientific research with new frontiers in the philosophy of mind, this volume offers the most definitive guide to self-control to date.
Table of Contents
1. IntroductionAlfred R. MelePart I. What is Self-Control and How Does it Work?2. The Long Reach of Self-ControlRoy F. Baumeister, Andrew J. Vonasch, and Hallgeir Sjåstad3. The Developmental and Cultural Origins of Our Beliefs About Self-ControlAdrienne Wente, Xin Zhao, Alison Gopnik, Carissa Kang, and Tamar Kushnir4. Self-Control as a Coordination ProblemAsael Y. Sklar and Kentaro Fujita5. Self-Control as Hybrid SkillMyrto Mylopoulos and Elisabeth Pacherie6. Inhibitory Control and Self-ControlAlejandra Sel and Joshua Shepherd7. Exploring the Roles of Emotions in Self-ControlAndrea Scarantino8. Children, Responsibility for Self-Control Failures, and Narrative CapacityMeghan Griffith9. Mind Control: Self-Control and Decision-MakingMarcela Herdova and Stephen KearnsPart II. Temptation and Goal Pursuit10. Self-Control, Agency and the Placebo Brain Stimulation: Psychological and Philosophical PerspectivesDavide Rigoni, Naomi Vanlessen, Rossella Guerini, Mario De Caro, and Marcel Brass11. Framing Temptations in Relation to the Self: Acceptance and AlienationEric Funkhouser and Jennifer C. Veilleux12. Shaping Our Mental Lives: On the Value of Mental Self-Control and Mental Self-RegulationDorothea Debus13. Resist or Yield? What to do with Temptations?Bence NanayPart III. Self-Control, Morality, and Law14. Moralizing Self-ControlMarlon Mooijman, Peter Meindl, and Jesse Graham15. Achieving Goals by Imposing RiskKatherine Hawley16. Self-Control and Deliberate Ignorance: On Ignoring Information We Ought to Know and Processing Information We Shouldn'tSammy Basu and James Friedrich17. Self-Control, Co-Operation, and Intention's AuthorityLilian O'Brien18. Juvenile Self-Control and Legal Responsibility: Building a Scalar StandardTyler K. Fagan, Katrina Sifferd, and William HirsteinPart IV. Extending Self-Control19. Framing as a Mechanism for Self-Control: Rationality and Quasi-Cyclical PreferencesJosé Luis Bermúdez20. Empathetic Self-ControlDavid Shoemaker21. Negligence and Social Self-GovernanceManuel R. Vargas22. Frankfurt and the Problem of Self-ControlRyan Cummings and Adina L. Roskies23. Self-Control, Mental Time Travel and the Temporally Extended SelfErica Cosentino
