The Thief of Time

Philosophical Essays on Procrastination

Edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White

all original (previously unpublished) essays
interdisciplinary approach
philosophical research on a topic that has received almost no previous attention in philosophy

The Thief of Time

Philosophical Essays on Procrastination

Edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White

Description

When we fail to achieve our goals, procrastination is often the culprit. But how exactly is procrastination to be understood? It has been described as imprudent, irrational, inconsistent, and even immoral, but there has been no sustained philosophical debate concerning the topic.

This edited volume starts in on the task of integrating the problem of procrastination into philosophical inquiry. The focus is on exploring procrastination in relation to agency, rationality, and ethics-topics that philosophy is well-suited to address. Theoretically and empirically informed analyses are developed and applied with the aim of shedding light on a vexing practical problem that generates a great deal of frustration, regret, and harm. Some of the key questions that are addressed include the following: How can we analyze procrastination in a way that does justice to both its voluntary and its self-defeating dimensions? What kind of practical failing is procrastination? Is it a form of weakness of will? Is it the product of fragmented agency? Is it a vice? Given the nature of procrastination, what are the most promising coping strategies?

The Thief of Time

Philosophical Essays on Procrastination

Edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White

Notes on the Contributors
Introduction, Chrisoula Andreou (University of Utah) and Mark D. White (College of Staten Island, CUNY)

Part I
1. Procrastination: The Basic Impulse, George Ainslie (Veterans Affairs Medical Center)
2. Economic Models of Procrastination, Don Ross (University of Cape Town and University of Alabama at Birmingham)
3. Is Procrastination Weakness of Will? Sarah Stroud (McGill University)
4. Intransitive Preferences, Vagueness, and the Structure of Procrastination, Duncan MacIntosh (Dalhousie University)
5. Bad Timing, Jon Elster (Columbia University)

Part II
6. Prudence, Procrastination, and Rationality, Olav Gjelsvik (University of Oslo)
7. Procrastination and Personal Identity, Christine Tappolet (Université de Montréal)
8. The Vice of Procrastination, Sergio Tenenbaum (University of Toronto)
9. Virtue for Procrastinators, Elijah Millgram (University of Utah)
10. Procrastination as Vice, Jennifer A. Baker (College of Charleston)

Part III
11. Overcoming Procrastination through Planning, Frank Wieber (University of Konstanz, Germany) and Peter M. Gollwitzer (New York University)
12. Coping with Procrastination, Chrisoula Andreou (University of Utah)
13. Resisting Procrastination: Kantian Autonomy and the Role of the Will, Mark D. White (College of Staten Island, CUNY)
14. Procrastination and the Extended Will, Joseph Heath (University of Toronto) and Joel Anderson (Utrecht University, Netherlands)
15. Procrastination and the Law, Manuel A. Utset (Florida State University College of Law)

Bibliography
Index

The Thief of Time

Philosophical Essays on Procrastination

Edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White

Author Information

Chrisoula Andreou is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah.

Mark D. White is Professor in the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at the College of Staten Island, CUNY.

Contributors:

George Ainslie, Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Joel Anderson, Philosophy, Utrecht University, Netherlands
Chrisoula Andreou, Philosophy, University of Utah
Jennifer A. Baker, Philosophy, College of Charleston
Jon Elster, Social Science, Columbia University
Olav Gjelsvik, Philosophy, University of Oslo
Peter M. Gollwitzer, Psychology, New York University
Joseph Heath, Philosophy, University of Toronto
Duncan MacIntosh, Philosophy, Dalhousie University
Elijah Millgram, Philosophy, University of Utah
Don Ross, Economics, University of Cape Town, Economics and Philosophy, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Sarah Stroud, Philosophy, McGill University
Christine Tappolet, Philosophy, Université de Montréal
Sergio Tenenbaum, Philosophy, University of Toronto
Manuel A. Utset, Jr., Florida State University College of Law
Mark D. White, Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy, College of Staten Island (CUNY)
Frank Wieber, Research Associate, University of Konstanz in Germany

The Thief of Time

Philosophical Essays on Procrastination

Edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White

Reviews and Awards

"This collection is good reading for anyone who would like to do philosophy on the subject of procrastination or who seeks to procrastinate her work by reading interesting things." --Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews