Future-me is relatively nearby—when it comes to the well-being and prosperity of an individual, it is a universally-accepted principle that the first responsibility for this falls upon those closest to the person in question. This is why most children are raised by their parents, rather than a selection of random strangers from across the country.*
Present-me is unusually aware of the needs and desires and circumstances of future-me, and further has an unusually strong degree of control over the development of all three, and further has an unusually strong influence over all three even when not acting with future-me directly in mind.
Either of these would provide strong reasons for present-me to pay particular attention to the plight of future-me.
* Edit 2009-11-12: This is known generally as the principle of subsidiarity.
While those are good reasons, I suggest that the biggest reason is simply that present-me cares about “me”. And “me” is a temporally extended person who includes future-me. There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly irrational about self-concern, any more than there is anything irrational about being a Red Wings fan if you happen to live in Detroit. (Or particularly rational, for that matter.)
Two reasons spring quickly to mind:
Future-me is relatively nearby—when it comes to the well-being and prosperity of an individual, it is a universally-accepted principle that the first responsibility for this falls upon those closest to the person in question. This is why most children are raised by their parents, rather than a selection of random strangers from across the country.*
Present-me is unusually aware of the needs and desires and circumstances of future-me, and further has an unusually strong degree of control over the development of all three, and further has an unusually strong influence over all three even when not acting with future-me directly in mind.
Either of these would provide strong reasons for present-me to pay particular attention to the plight of future-me.
* Edit 2009-11-12: This is known generally as the principle of subsidiarity.
While those are good reasons, I suggest that the biggest reason is simply that present-me cares about “me”. And “me” is a temporally extended person who includes future-me. There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly irrational about self-concern, any more than there is anything irrational about being a Red Wings fan if you happen to live in Detroit. (Or particularly rational, for that matter.)