Decision Theory and Transformative Choice

If rationality is the maximization of expected preference-satisfaction, it appears impossible to rationally decide to change one’s core preferences. For there is no stable set of preferences whose maximization could determine the rationality of the choice. Some have argued that this means one cannot rationally become, e.g., a parent, philosopher, or music-lover. But we do not become parents, philosophers, or music-lovers by choosing: there are no acts of choice that take as their input a non-parent and output a parent. The rationality of major life transformations is invisible to those who look for it at an initial moment of decision to become a new person. These transformations are gradual—and not because we thoughtlessly “drift” into the people we become. They are gradual because they are kinds of learning, and it takes time to learn to care about new things.