Choice Group Seminar by Richard Holton (University of Cambridge): ‘Frustration, Temptation, and the Different Faces of Commitment’

Abstract: Most philosophical discussions of self-control have focused on temptation: on what is needed to resist giving in to appealing alternatives. In contrast a body of work in neuroscience has focussed on when foragers give up on an existing task, and start looking for alternatives. It might seem that that these are just two sides of the same coin: to give up on what one is doing is to give in to a tempting alternative. The orthodox choice framework in which preference is understood as a ranking of two alternatives, can encourage that. But phenomenologically the two seem very different, and this can be supported by the idea that decisions to change involve a two-step process: first a decision whether or not to reconsider, and only then a choice amongst alternatives. We review the existing evidence, and present some new findings, indicating that perseverance in a task is largely underpinned not by adding relative value to the chosen option, but by the decreased salience of alternatives. This suggests that frustration, the failure of the current task to provide the expected returns would be a more powerful motivation for reconsideration than the temptation provided by other alternatives. The empirical findings support this. It also provides an explanation of why intentions do not lock an agent into a given course.

Richard Holton is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

This event will take place in person on LSE’s campus. However, those unable to attend in person will have the option of taking part online.

To join online just follow these instructions:

• Download Zoom
• Zoom link for this for this meeting: https://lse.zoom.us/j/6613924533 

Please note that these events are routinely recorded, with the edited footage being made publicly available on our website and YouTube channel. We will only record the audio, the slides and the speaker and will not include the Q&A section. However, any question asked during the talk itself will feature in the final edit.