

85 | L.A. Paul on Transformative Experiences and Your Future Selves
Feb 24, 2020
L.A. Paul, a Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at Yale, delves into the complexities of transformative experiences that alter personal identity. She discusses life-changing decisions like parenthood and their unpredictable impacts on our preferences. Paul challenges the rational decision-making models we rely on when faced with such choices, emphasizing the emotional factors involved. The conversation also touches on how shifts in identity affect our beliefs and the challenges of understanding our future selves, alongside the importance of empathy in navigating life’s transitions.
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Transformative Decisions
- Transformative experiences change who you are, making it hard to make related decisions.
- Your post-transformation preferences might not align with your current ones, rendering advice irrelevant.
Vampire Example
- Laurie Paul uses the thought experiment of becoming a vampire to illustrate transformative experience.
- The example highlights the difficulty of understanding such a change without experiencing it firsthand.
Degrees of Transformation
- Transformative experiences range in intensity and impact.
- Laurie Paul focuses on radical transformations that induce profound epistemic and personal shifts.