Hmm. Random thought: Do you think it's morally wrong to try and control the actions of future versions of yourself? Like, to try and commit yourself to something you can't get out of, specifically because you think future you might want to get out of it? :/
@Angle and I don't know if I've an answer. I take things like oaths seriously, but aren't oaths basically like trying to "control the actions of future" selves? and I'm not actually _good_ at oaths.
@Angle No! Well, it depends on what, but in general no! I do exactly this to myself fairly often when trying to enforce healthier habits. I set things up so it's more difficult to do less desirable things. I've also been known to commit myself to things when I didn't have to to keep myself from deciding I didn't want to be bothered because past experience has shown me I enjoy it. Perhaps you can think of it as a duty to further future self?
@Angle No, I think that morally that could be quite wise, so long as you have a good justification for your precommitment.
@Angle There is a really interesting branch of game theory in philosophy that deals with precommitments too. It can be a very powerful signal which can inform other peoples' actions.
The ethics and morality (proscription and prescription) are a function of the actions and signalling and intent rather than this specific method.
@Angle I thought this was literally just called "making a decision"
What about for very long term decisions? Is there a maximum time span after which attempting to control yourself is unethical? :/
@Angle Nope. So long as you've got sanity clauses built in or have worked through the ethics of a solid precommitment. I would feel that this is a function of the action rather than the precommitment, if the action is moral and ethical to take now in response to whatever imagined scenario, then it's moral and ethical to take then, so long as there is an onto relationship between the set of decision criteria established and the action.
Of course, if the signal proxies are poor proxies, that...
@Angle can be quite problematic, but that's again... a general case.
There is nothing "problematic" about this sort of contract space qua itself.
@Angle It *is* worth considering why you may want to be able to defuse the contract in the future though and have viable methods for aborting if conditions are such that abandoning the precommit matches its own precommitment.
@Angle Mutual suicide via past's poor planning is... not wise.
@Angle I dunno about "unethical", but there's fiction about oaths gone wrong for a reason (e.g. the Oath of Fëanor in _The Silmarillion_, in fantasy; in serious drama the Sean Penn film "The Pledge" comes to mind.)
@Angle
Not immoral, but might be unethical. Get future you's consent first ;)
Also, I've tried this and it doesn't work, for me anyway. Apparently I resent being told what to do even if it's me telling me…
@Angle I know at least I am always afraid of trapping myself.
@Angle If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, then I'd say no (at least for my psychological sort of situation).
Committing for me can be a good way to structure things or to push myself out of my comfort zone for the sake of my own rehabilitation and development. I still give myself space to back out if I need to (and have done, and I don't feel bad about doing so).
@Angle morality usually involves another person than yourself?
@Angle Sounds like someone is about to get a tattoo. :-)
@sajith Nope! Nice guess though. :P
@Angle sounds like something I might try on myself XD