Future Flourishing

One significant cause of suffering is the harm that we visit on our future-selves by failing adequately to factor their welfare into our decision-making. For instance, experimental work show that people systematically devalue the welfare of their more temporally distant future selves compared to their temporally closer selves, and that people systematically devalue the value of their past selves when compared to the welfare of their future selves. This project investigates cross-temporal flourishing: flourishing across time. We are interested in the ways that current selves reason about the welfare of other selves, both past and future.

The project investigates cross-temporal flourishing from a number of different perspectives. It focuses on developing ways of conceptualizing our relationship to our future- (and indeed our past) selves that better supports the flourishing of those selves. It also investigates the nature of the relationship we have to our past and future selves and the conditions under which we reason poorly about the welfare of those selves, as well as investigating the sorts of character traits and virtues that contribute to better future flourishing.

The project lies at the intersection of work in four main ideas: the metaphysics of personal identity, character and virtue, prudence and temporal metaphysics. It aims to be appropriately informed by psychological research, and, indeed, in some cases to contribute to that research. The Centre for Time has a lively set of collaborations that aim to empirically probe philosophical questions, including those pertaining to flourishing.

The successful applicant would join one of several collaborative teams to investigate future flourishing. Some of those teams will focus on producing experimental work on flourishing and prudential rationality, while others will focus on character, virtue and self, and others will focus on personal identity and prudential rationality.

It includes a number of sub-projects including:

(a) Happiness and future flourishing (especially at the intersection of philosophy and psychology) - Professor David Braddon-Mitchell and Dr Caroline West

(b) Personal identity and our duties to future selves - Professor David Braddon-Mitchell, Dr Luara Ferracioli, Professor Kristie Miller and Dr Caroline West

(c) Cross-temporal flourishing and prudential rationality (especially at the intersection of philosophy and psychology of time biases - Professor Kristie Miller

(d) Virtue and cross-temporal flourishing (especially what sorts of virtues contribute to the flourishing of future selves) - Associate Professor Luke Russell and Dr Sam Shpall

(e) Time and Future Flourishing (especially the connection between time, rationality, and future flourishing) - Professor Kristie Miller

Proposals should engage with one (or more) of the above sub-projects.

Aim of the study

The aim of this project is to develop an account of cross-temporal flourishing through a number of related investigations.

These investigations include (a) investigating the nature of happiness and its connection with flourishing (both at and across time), with a view to incorporating current psychological research on happiness and flourishing into a philosophical account of the phenomenon.

They also include (b) examining extant theories of personal -identity and persistence, and reflecting on how these shed light on the sorts of duties that we owe future (and perhaps pasts) selves.

Another sub-component of this project (c) focuses on work on prudence and prudential rationality that aims to both philosophically and empirically investigate the ways in which we fail to take the welfare of other selves appropriately into consideration (such as by being near biased or future biased), the conditions under which we observe these biases, and their like cases.

The project also involves (d) consideration of the kinds of virtues and character traits that tend to promote cross-temporal flourishing, and consideration of the ways we can inculcate those virtues and traits.

Finally, it includes investigation, both empirical and philosophical, of the connection between the ways we think about and experience time, on the one hand, and the ways we reason about our past and future selves, on the other hand (e).

Benefits

Successful applicants will work with leading researchers in this area, and will be housed at the interdisciplinary Centre for Time and the Department of Philosophy, which jointly bring together international researchers from philosophy and psychology.

Successful applicants will be part of a lively philosophy community, and will have access to a number of international collaborators both in philosophy and in related disciplines. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to collaborate on a number of different projects, including those at the intersection of philosophy and psychology, and those that involve both philosophical and experimental work.

PhD application criteria

Applicants are invited to submit a proposal for PhD research that aligns directly to this project.
Prospective candidates may qualify for direct entry into the PhD program if their research proposal (see above) is accepted and they satisfy at least one of the criteria listed below.

Bachelor's degree with first class honours in an appropriate area of study that includes a research thesis based on primary data not literature review
Master's degree by research in an appropriate area of study that includes a research thesis that draws on primary data
Master's degree by coursework, with a research thesis or dissertation of 12,000–15,000 words that draws on primary data not literature review, with a grade-point average of at least 80 per cent in the degree.
Demonstrated appropriate professional experience and alternative qualifications in the field of study.

For more information regarding applying for a PhD refer to the course details for Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences).

Please also refer to guidelines for preparing a research proposal.

Funding

A number of scholarships are available to support your studies.

These scholarships will provide a stipend allowance of $35,629 per annum for up to 3.5 years. Successful international students will also receive a tuition fee scholarship for up to 3.5 years.

For other scholarship opportunities refer to Faculty Research Scholarships (Domestic) or Faculty Research Scholarships (International)

Contact

For further details about the PhD project, as a first port of call contact Professor Kristie Miller at kristie.miller@sydney.edu.au. She will direct your enquiry to the relevant set of investigators, depending on the exact nature of the project you have in mind.